RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes have been able to reach first place in the Metropolitan Division without star defenseman Jaccob Slavin for most of the season.
The Hurricanes got Slavin back in the lineup for Sunday's 3-2 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers after a 29-game absence with what the team called a "lower-body injury."
He started the game and played 14:31 and blocked three shots. The 11th-year defenseman played in the first two games of the season but hadn't played since Oct. 11.
"It's good to be back out there playing," Slavin said. "Sometimes being injured is almost harder than the grind of the season."
Slavin said he and the team's medical staff had Sunday's date circled as a potential return.
"It's a long season, so we just wanted to make sure I was good to go and I wasn't going to have any flareups," Slavin said while declining to add any details about the injury. "We had a good plan in place."
Slavin has been a cornerstone of the Hurricanes' defense during the current streak of seven straight playoff appearances under coach Rod Brind'Amour.
He was a standout performer for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off last year and is expected to have a key role for the Americans in the Winter Olympics in February. The team hasn't shared much publicly about Slavin's injury but there was an expectation that Slavin would try to return and be ready for the Olympics.
"In my mind, if my first game back wasn't going to be before the Olympics, I wouldn't have gone," Slavin said. "My priority is this team and the group that we have here. We have a special group this year. The Olympics would be awesome, if it happens, but we will have to see."
To make room on the NHL roster, the Hurricanes sent Joel Nystrom down to their AHL affiliate in Chicago. Nystrom had five assists in 24 games with the Hurricanes as one of the replacements for Slavin. On Friday, the Hurricanes signed Nystrom to a four-year contract extension.
