What this means

The banged-up back end is big news. Ben Hutton’s injury may be the latest concern because the Canucks made the blue-liner a late scratch Saturday with what they announced as an upperbody injury, leaving the Canucks with five healthy rearguards. He also blocked a shot with his left hand Friday and had it heavily wrapped post-game, so there needs to be an explanation coming. Nikita Tryamkin was also rocked so hard by a first-period Micheal Ferland hit coming out of his own zone that you were left to wonder what was going on when he disappeared from the bench. It wasn’t a stretch to suggest he may have left because of the league’s concussion protocol. The Canucks said that wasn’t the case, but something was clearly amiss with the Russian rearguard, who did return. Later, Luca Sbisa’s head hit the glass on a heavy Garnet Hathaway hit. There’s more. Jordan Subban, who leads Utica Comets defenders with eight goals and will play in the American Hockey League All-Star Game, is reportedly injured.