Hurricanes’ Jordan Martinook out day-to-day with lower-body injury

A notable player won’t be in the lineup for the Carolina Hurricanes when they go up against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

When speaking to the media, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour announced that forward Jordan Martinook will not play against the Florida Panthers on Friday night and is considered day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Martinook was injured during the Canes’ game on Wednesday night against the Nashville Predators. The 33-year-old registered just 5:44 of ice time across 10 shifts, delivering a hit while picking up a minor penalty for tripping in the first period. Carolina went on to win the game by a final score of 4-1.

Martinook had played in each of the team’s first 33 games of the season. He has scored four goals and seven assists for 11 points thus far, last finding the back of the net on Dec. 9 in a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Brandon, Man. native also has a plus/minus of +4 while averaging 14:17 of ice time per game. His production is down a little from last season, where he posted 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points.

He has been a predominantly healthy player over the past few seasons. Martinook played all 82 games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, but did miss three games in April last year, leading up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Whatever might’ve been ailing him then didn’t hinder him during the postseason, as Martinook notched six points in 15 games, as the Canes made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final, losing to the Panthers once again.

The Hurricanes (22-9-2) sit atop the Metropolitan Division, four points ahead of the second-place Washington Capitals.