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Laviolette says Weight has 'upper-body injury'

NHL, Carolina Hurricanes

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Carolina Hurricanes will be without another key player in their lineup as coach Peter Laviolette announced Friday that Doug Weight will miss Saturday's Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals with an "upper-body injury."

Doug Weight Weight

Aaron Ward Ward

"We won't be able to replace a Doug Weight, he's a valuable part of this team," Laviolette told reporters after the team's morning skate. "But we're going to have to and somebody else is going to have to step up."

Weight took a sandwich hit from Chris Pronger and Raffi Torres early in the third period of Wednesday's Game 5. He left the ice, favoring his shoulder. Weight returned to the bench late in regulation but did not play.

Laviolette wouldn't discuss any more specifics on team injuries, but Aaron Ward, who was also hurt in Game 5, took part in Friday's skate, a sign that he should be available for Saturday. Ward also suffered an "upper-body injury" early in the first period.

Ward pronounced himself "uninjured" after he was shaken up twice in Game 5 -- once by a hard hit from Torres and another by stopping a blistering slap shot by Pronger that he blocked with his ankle.

"I'm 33 years old and raring to go," Ward said. "Doesn't get any better than this. If I took my shirt off and you saw what I was working with here -- slightly handicapped in the genetics end of it -- but I am working with what I've got."

The Hurricanes lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and will try again to clinch the Cup in Edmonton.

If Ward couldn't go, it would likely open the door to Oleg Tverdovsky, who has played a total of 2:20 in this series. Josef Vasicek, who played the last two games, will likely see increased ice time, while Chad LaRose could come back into the lineup, as well.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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