Bad news for the Predators following Dakota Joshua's massive hit

The Nashville Predators will be down a defenceman for the remainder of their series against the Canucks, after a hit from Dakota Joshua resulted in an upper-body injury to Spencer Stastny.

The rookie defenceman was pasted behind the net by the Canucks power forward, with Joshua receiving a 5-minute boarding penalty and Stastny leaving the ice gingerly. The sequence ended up being reviewed and the referees assessed a 2-minute minor penalty


He didn't finish Game 3 after the hit, and Nashville Predators correspondent Robby Stanley said after the game that he was considered week to week.



Joshua appears to hit Stastney squarely in the numbers, so he may be lucky not to face supplemental discipline. While Stastney isn't a marquee name, he was solid in his 20 regular-season games with the Preds and played a top role when at the AHL level.

His injury opens the door for the playoff debut of one of two BC natives, Dante Fabbro or Tyson Barrie.

The Canucks and Predators meet for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.