< Back to front page Text size – +

Lucic diagnosis: sprained ankle, sidelined a month

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Kevin Paul Dupont, Globe Staff November 27, 2009 10:46 AM

Facebook
E-mail

Milan Lucic will be out of the lineup for approximately a month due to a high ankle sprain, according to Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, who updated the media on the left winger's injury some 90 minutes prior to the noon faceoff here today between the Bruins and Devils.

Lucic injured his left ankle Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minn., late in Boston's 2-1 win over the Wild, as he reached to gather in a pass from defenseman Dennis Wideman. As he reached back, Lucic's left leg buckled from under him, sending him hobbling back to the Boston bench and then to the dressing room.

Speculation ran rampant after the game that Lucic suffered a knee injury and could be lost to the lineup for a much longer period of time. Chiarelli noted that the estimate of a one-month absence comes with some guess work. Lucic, he said, could be back earlier or later.

'''Certainly, I expected worse,'' said Chiarelli, initially alarmed when he saw Lucic go down with the injuiry. ''But if you look at [the replay] really closely, he broke the fall with his hands.''

Vladimir Sobotka will take Lucic's spot in the lineup today.