Pittsburgh 4th liner, Joe Vitale, sure did a number to the Flyers yesterday.
Reports have gone out that both Niklas Grossmann and Danny Briere will miss a game or two --
Quite the blow to our defense and offense.
Grossmann's "lower body injury" came in the 1st period when he and Vitale went knee-to-knee. And Danny's back apparently suffered from the check Vitale put on him at center ice late in the 3rd period --
No further details regarding Niklas Grossmann's knee have been disclosed. However people read words like "contusion" and "out indefinitely" and automatically think of the worst for Danny Briere.
Keeping Daniel out of the lineup could be a precautionary tactic. After all, a contusion is, more or less, a very deep tissue bruise. Don't get me wrong, it's extremely painful. But it isn't like he strained or pulled a muscle.
Most contusions are minor and heal quickly, without the athlete needing to be removed from the game.
Contusions occur when a direct blow or repeated blows from a blunt object strike part of the body, crushing underlying muscle fibers and connective tissue without breaking the skin. A contusion can result from falling or jamming the body against a hard surface. ~ OrthoInfo.com
Another reason I believe it's precautionary is because perhaps the area is so swelled up, team doctors aren't exactly sure what they're dealing with quite yet.
If tissue damage is extensive, you may also have a fractured bone, dislocated joint, sprain, torn muscle, or other injuries.
Hence the "out indefinitely" news.
Bottom line, I wouldn't be too worried about this injury. Danny jumped right back up after the hit occurred and stayed on the ice while the scuffle broke out. We could just be seeing Paul Holmgren playing it safe and being conservative with one of his biggest assisting machines.
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