Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Carolina Hurricanes right wing Justin Williams will miss at least a month with a broken bone in his hand, the team announced on Monday.
Williams, who missed the first 25 games of the season with a ruptured right Achilles tendon he suffered in training camp, broke the bone when a slap shot hit him in Sunday's 3-0 win over Buffalo. A decision will be made in the next couple of days on whether he will need surgery.
"He walked on that bus last night and he looked about as low as a man can," said Carolina head coach Paul Maurice. "The especially painful part is that over the last three or four games, his speed was coming back. He was skating last night and he was really moving, and I think he really felt that finally something positive [was happening]. To have that happen is going to be very difficult for him."
Playing his eighth season in the NHL, he has just three goals and seven assists in 32 games this season.