The Carolina Hurricanes were already struggling to deal with the loss of Jalen Chatfield on the blueline and now they'll be without Sean Walker too.

While the 30-year-old defenseman took warmups before Game 3, he was not part of line rushes and was officially ruled out per the NHL's roster report.

The right-handed defenseman took an a big hit from A.J. Greer in Game 2 as he was shooting the puck and it appeared his arm/shoulder was injured in the process.

In his place will be 23-year-old rookie blueliner Alexander Nikishin for just his second ever career game.

Walker has been a big part of the Carolina blueline this postseason, not only playing big minutes when called upon, but also contributing offensively with a goal and three points.

The veteran has especially been called upon with Chatfield out, so it will be interesting to see how the Hurricanes fare in Game 3 without him.

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