Flames captain Giordano undergoes MRI for injury

Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano underwent an MRI exam on Wednesday, one day after suffering a lower-body injury during a game against the San Jose Sharks. Interim coach Geoff Ward said after Wednesday's practice that the team was still awaiting the results of the exam. It is suspected that Giordano suffered a hamstring injury.

Giordano, the team captain, was injured in the second period when he attempted a one-timer shot in which his legs extended awkwardly and he fell to the ice. Once he got up, he skated to the bench, then headed to the locker room. What the team learns will determine whether Giordano is available for Thursday's game against the Nashville Predators. The reigning Norris Trophy winner has 27 points (five goals, 22 assists) in 54 games this season while also providing his typically high level of defense.

"You're never going to replace a Norris winner -- our best player, our leader, our hardest worker," defenseman Travis Hamonic told reporters. "At the same time, you have to keep pushing forward collectively. Everyone has got to pick their game up a handful of notches to try to eat those minutes and try and help ease the load that he takes every night for our group." The 36-year-old Giordano scored a career-best 74 points (17 goals, 57 assists) last season while becoming the only Calgary player to win the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.

He has again been a stalwart this season and is averaging a team-high 23 minutes, 57 seconds of ice-time per game during a season in which he was named an All-Star for the third time. That leaves a substantial hole to fill if Giordano should miss substantial time. "One of two things usually happens," Ward said. "You can come together as a group. Or the other way is to let it affect you in a negative way. So, we have a decision to make, obviously, but we're confident the guys in the lineup are capable of stepping up."

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