Hiller Is Out…Again

After playing only one game since coming back from dizziness and over-exhaustion, the Ducks have placed Jonas Hiller on injured reserve.

Since the Allstar game, Hiller played one period where he allowed three goals against the Sharks and was pulled for the remainder of the game. Shortly after Hiller felt dizziness, and exhaustion and was listed as day-to-day. McElhinney led the Ducks by winning three out of four games on their road trip. Hiller came back and shut out the Edmonton Oilers, seemingly back to normal, but as stated earlier, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Hiller obviously has the symptoms of a concussion and for some reason he was cleared to play against the Oilers. Dizziness, fatigue and weakness are all common symptoms that any doctor would know about. Sidney Crosby has concussion like symptoms and has yet to return to the Pens lineup. We see this happen all the time and generally teams are cautious about letting a player come back too early. So why was Hiller cleared to play?

My opinion is because the Ducks felt they needed him. The Western Conference playoff run is as tight as ever. All season it has been clear that Hiller will be heavily relied upon to keep the Ducks in the playoffs. Afterall tonight the Ducks take on the Capitals, an offensive powerhouse. Let Hiller play against the worst team in the NHL and then he will be ready for the Caps.

A very dangerous move by the Ducks organization. Losing Hiller for a long period of time could ruin their chances of making the playoffs. Why risk it? McElhinney has been a complete boss in net and it will be good for Hiller to rest before playoffs begin