Patriots’ Gronkowski misses practice, unlikely to play Sunday
New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski missed Thursday’s practice and appears unlikely to play in Sunday’s road game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Gronkowski is listed as having a chest injury on the Patriots’ injury report, and there has been speculation he might have a lung injury. He also missed Wednesday’s practice session.
Gronkowski was injured during Sunday’s loss against the Seattle Seahawks when he was the recipient of a hit from safety Earl Thomas.
“Just down for about a minute of two. It’s a little tough to breathe, but once it comes back, you’re good,” Gronkowski said of the hit. “He hit me fair and square. It’s football. You’re going to get laid out eventually.”
Martellus Bennett is in line to start for the Patriots at tight end if Gronkowski misses Sunday’s contest.
“I’ve started the majority of my career,” Bennett told reporters on Thursday. “It’s just football.”
Gronkowski missed two games earlier this season due to a hamstring injury.
Chiefs RB Charles undergoes another knee surgery
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles had his left knee scoped on Monday, team trainer Rick Burkholder said Thursday.
Charles was placed on injured reserve Nov. 1 and had his right knee scoped by Dr. James Andrews the following day.
The Chiefs were hoping Charles might return for the regular-season finale or any postseason games but the second procedure this month might make a return this season unlikely.
Charles tore the ACL in his right knee in Oct. 2015 and has yet to fully recover. He appeared in three games and had 40 yards on 12 carries but experienced swelling in his right knee Oct. 21 after scoring a touchdown against Oakland five days earlier.
Before injuring his knee the 29-year-old was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He had a career-high 1,509 rushing yards in 2012 and a career-best 12 rushing touchdowns in 2013.
Lightning’s Stamkos may miss 4-6 months after knee surgery
Tampa Bay Lighting captain Steven Stamkos will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus, according to multiple reports.
TSN Canada’s Bob McKenzie reported Stamkos traveled to Vail, Colo. to have the procedure performed. The report was also confirmed by the Tampa Bay Times.
There is not an official timetable for his return but the procedure includes a rehab period of four to six months, meaning Stamkos will likely return in mid-March at the earliest.
Stamkos was injured during a collision with Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist in Tuesday’s 4-3 win. He scored his ninth goal of the season before leaving and Tampa Bay general manager Steve Yzerman said Wednesday that Stamkos would be sidelined “indefinitely”.
In the first year of an eight-year deal agreed upon shortly before free agency on July 1, Stamkos has 20 points in 17 games.
The 26-year-old was Tampa Bay’s top pick in 2009 and has 321 goals in 329 regular-season games.
Stamkos has also been sidelined with a few serious injuries in recent seasons.
He missed 55 games in the 2013-14 season with a broken leg. Last year he dealt with a blood-clotting issue that kept him out of the postseason until Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Wild assign LW Erikkson Ek to Swedish Elite League
The Minnesota Wild assigned left wing Joel Eriksson Ek to Farjestad BK of the Swedish Elite League on Thursday.
Eriksson Ek scored two goals and recorded five points in nine games with the Wild. Had he appeared in 10th game, the first year of his three-year deal would kick in giving the Wild another a 49th contract on the roster, one shy of the league maximum.
He made his debut Oct. 22 at New Jersey and became the seventh player in team history to score a goal in his NHL debut. On Oct. 25 at Boston, he tied a team rookie record with three assists and a plus-three rating.
Minnesota selected the 19-year-old with the 20th overall pick of the 2015 draft. Last season he scored nine goals and had 15 points in 41 games for Farjestad BK.