Hawks down another defenseman with de Haan on injured reserve

Blackhawks defenseman Calvin de Haan was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, the team announced Thursday.

He was hurt in the first period of Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. He was ridden into the boards by Mark Stone and fell backward, injuring his right shoulder. He left the ice and did not return.

De Haan, who has had surgery on that shoulder twice before, flew back to Chicago after the game for further evaluation.

Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters in Arizona on Thursday that de Haan "likely" will be out long term.

The Hawks also are minus defenseman Duncan Keith, who is day to day with a groin injury. It'll be a challenge with two top defenseman on the shelf.

"We've got to be better," Colliton said. "We have to protect our D with numbers back in transition and also making sure we manage the puck through the neutral zone, create and sustain offensive zone time. That's what would make the game easier for everybody."

"Yeah, every loss is a challenge," defenseman Connor Murphy said, asked to sum up the team's mindset. "But it's an opportunity for us to push through.

"We realize with (road) games that you need to know how to play in buildings and against teams that have a big push (like Vegas). ... (We need) to make sure we're limiting (opponents') chances and keeping the game from getting out of hand like it did."

De Haan has 1 goal and 5 assists in 29 games. He leads the team with 73 blocked shots and is third in the league at 2.5 per game.

He was acquired from Carolina in June in exchange for Gustav Forsling and Anton Forsberg. He injured his shoulder March 31 and returned less than three weeks later and played a large role in the Hurricanes' run to the Eastern Conference Final.