In just his second game back from an injury, Rasmus Ristolainen had to exit during the first period Wednesday night and did not return.
The Flyers’ defenseman played only two shifts and 1:01 minutes against the Blue Jackets before departing. The team announced that he suffered a lower-body injury.
Ristolainen returned to the lineup Monday night after missing the previous six games with an upper-body injury. The 31-year-old has battled injuries in his five seasons with the Flyers. Most recently, he had to miss significant time with a second triceps tendon rupture.
If there’s any good news, it’s that Ristolainen’s injury doesn’t appear to be related to his arm.
We’ll see if this injury changes his status for the Olympics. He’s slated to play for Team Finland in two weeks.