The National Hockey League playoffs show who is willing to sacrifice for their team. Defenseman Chris Tanev certainly falls into this category, having played two Calgary Flames games with a dislocated shoulder.
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The 32-year-old full-back told sports website The Athletic on Saturday that he would have to go under the knife and thus be sidelined for four to six months. He could thus miss the start of the next campaign.
Tanev was injured in Game 6 against the Dallas Stars in the first round. Despite the pain, he finally returned to action a week later for Game 4 and Game 5 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Flames have been eliminated in the second round in five games.
Renowned as one of the best defensive defensemen in the league, as evidenced by his excellent differential of 35 in the regular season, the Ontarian nevertheless established a career high with 28 points in 82 games.