While the club confirmed Sean Durzi will remain out for the foreseeable future, Utah got some good news on Robert Bortuzzo Thursday.
The Utah Hockey Club's blue-liners can breathe a big sigh of relief Thursday.
Despite taking a huge hit with Sean Durzi being out for the foreseeable future with an upper-body injury suffered at New Jersey, the club got some great news on the health of Robert Bortuzzo.
The 35-year-old defenceman, signed to a one-year, two-way deal in the off-season, left late in the third period of last night's overtime loss in Anaheim and did not return.
It left Utah to finish with only five blue-liners for the second straight game, which proved to be costly in terms of fatigue as they fell to the Ducks at Honda Center.
However, general manager Bill Armstrong said Bortuzzo "should be back" for Saturday's game against Boston, which is a huge boost for a defence corps already down John Marino (who remains on injured reserve) and Durzi.
Bortuzzo, a Stanley Cup champion with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, played on the third defensive pair with rookie Vladislav Kolyachanok, while Ian Cole moved up to the second pair, and Michael Kesselring up to the first.
The pairs are expected to remain the same heading into tomorrow's practice at the Olympic Oval.
For more on Utah HC's first road trip, read here: