EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips are keeping their cards close to their chest with regards to the status of defenseman Ben Betker.
Betker, who exited Saturday’s 6-2 playoff loss to the Spokane Chiefs because of an injury, is being listed by the Tips as day-to-day because of an upper-body injury.
Betker, an overager and alternate captain, was hit into the boards midway through the first period of Saturday’s Game 2 at Xfinity Arena. He came away appearing to clutch his arm and did not return to the game. Betker was scheduled to see a doctor Sunday and did not participate in practice Monday.
“He has an upper-body injury,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said Monday about Betker. “He started rehab yesterday, we saw some improvement today. Right now, basically all we can really say is he’s day-to-day.”
Betker is an integral part of Everett’s defense. The towering 6-foot-6 blueliner plays heavy minutes against the opposition’s top forwards as a member of Everett’s top defensive pairing. During the regular season he had six goals and 25 assists in 64 games. Just before the playoffs began he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, the team that selected him in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL draft.
Everett’s options on defense, should Betker be unavailable, are limited. Tristen Pfeifer, who was one of the Tips’ regular defensemen, hasn’t played since Feb. 27 because of an upper-body injury that’s had him listed as week-to-week since it occurred. The only other defenseman currently on the roster who isn’t already in the lineup is 15-year-old call-up Jantzen Leslie, Everett’s first-round pick in the 2-14 bantam draft.
The best-of-seven series between Everett and Spokane resumes Wednesday with Game 3 in Spokane. The series is tied 1-1.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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