When Tuomo Ruutu's hip surgery was announced Jan. 5, the physical NHL forward was expected to remain in recovery until early May.
Now, nearly two months ahead of schedule and just 10 weeks after undergoing the procedure, Ruutu is set to return to the Carolina Hurricanes' lineup in the next few days.
Both he and injured defenseman Joni Pitkanen will travel with the 'Canes to their Saturday night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Per team reporter Michael Smith via Twitter:
Ruutu practiced without a no-contact jersey for the first time Friday, skating with the team's fourth line alongside Tim Brent and Kevin Westgarth. The status upgrade came after Ruutu skated publicly for the first time last Saturday.
His return comes at just the right time for the 'Canes, whose Southeast Division lead slipped to a mere one point over the Winnipeg Jets after a loss Thursday.
Although Carolina remains a very respectable 15-10-1 on the year and holds the NHL's seventh-best playoff odds as of midday Friday (89.6 percent), a crucial coming week of four games lies on the slate ahead.
They'll visit the Bolts' Tampa Ba ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mark Jones
Tuomo Ruutu to Return Soon: How His Presence Will Help Carolina Hurricanes
March 15th, 2013 by Mark Jones Leave a reply »
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