In Tuesday's NHL game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Panthers, Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane was cross checked in the lower back by Panthers' Alex Petrovic in the first period. Sources said Kane was slow to get up and was rushed to the locker room.

Wednesday, a source told ESPN that the injury put Kane on injured reserve, meaning he will sit out six to 10 weeks. The hit by Petrovic could have injured Kane in the clavicle area, an injury serious enough to worry the whole team. With the regular season ending on April 11 and the playoffs starting shortly afterward, Kane could miss the first part of the playoffs.

Members of the Blackhawk team are devastated of Kane's injury. Forward Kris Versteeg said, "It's never good when he's out of the lineup - not only for us, but for the league. He's 20 to 30 points ahead of the next guy on the team. That's hard to replace that scoring. This team always seems to find ways, so we're just going to have to do that. Dig deep."

Petrovic received a two-minute penalty during the game for the infraction. The Blackhawks won Tuesday's game 3-2. Petrovic is not scheduled for a disciplinary hearing with the league at this time.

Kane's career has been a successful one as he is tied for the NHL lead with 64 points. He also scores most of the Blackhawks' points each game with 27 goals and 37 assists this season alone. The Blackhawks are third in the Central Division, according to ESPN.

The Blackhawks will host the next game as they take on the Florida Panthers again this Thursday, February 26.