Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce leaves game with lower-body injury

One of the top blueliners on the Carolina Hurricanes has suffered an injury at the worst time of the season.

During the team’s second game of the Metropolitan Division Semifinals against the New York Islanders on Monday night, defenseman Brett Pesce was forced to leave the game early with a lower-body injury.

It is not clear when or where Pesce was injured. As the Islanders built a 3-0 lead in the game, Pesce was a minus-one, in 8:47 of ice time, taking a holding the stick penalty late in the first period.

Pesce played a key role in the Canes’ 3-1 win over the Isles in the series opener on Saturday, picking up an assist and a plus-two rating in 19:49 of ice time.

The 29-year-old had missed a game late in the regular season, as Pesce was out for Carolina’s contest against the St. Louis Blues due to an undisclosed ailment. The Tarrytown, New York native missed almost an entire month after a lower-body injury in mid-October required surgery.

In 70 regular-season games, Pesce scored three goals and 13 points, with a plus-10 rating, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. However, due to injury and illness, his offensive production dipped after he scored a career-high 30 points while playing the full 82 games during the 2022-23 campaign.

In 627 career games, Pesce has scored 39 goals and 159 assists, all with the Hurricanes. He has also registered five goals and 21 points in 57 playoff appearances.

It is too early to tell if Pesce will be available for Game 3 of the series against the Islanders, as the two teams will change venues, playing at UBS Arena in Elmont on Thursday night.