Despite Reported Injury, Lundqvist Expected to Practice With Team Sweden Monday

Amid a flurry of reports of injuries in advance of the World Cup, there may be some terrible news for Team Sweden. The Swedish site Expressen.se reports that New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist may have been injured while golfing.

The site ran pictures of Lundqvist holding his side in pain after a swing. They report, via translation, Lundqvist said, “I stretched something.” They report that there may be implications for his World Cup availability. However, nothing has been confirmed and it may be much ado about nothing.

For Team Sweden, it could be a major blow if Lundqvist decides to play it safe and be ready for the start of the NHL season. Lundqvist was almost a lock to be the team’s starter. Sweden had also named Robin Lehner and Jacob Markstrom to the team initially, but Lehner has pulled out fo the tournament due to injury. He has been replaced by Jhonas Enroth.

Sweden has had a tough string of injuries strike before the tournament even begins. Captain Henrik Zetterberg has also pulled out to due to injury, as has his Detroit teammate Niklas Kronwall.

Team Sweden has not yet released a statement on Lundqvist’s status. This post will be updated with more information as it becomes available.

UPDATE 2:30pm ET
ESPN’s Joe McDonald reports that Lundqvist is not injured and expects to participate in practice Monday. The soreness in his side predated golfing, and stemmed from taking a puck to the ribs during a practice, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post.