Jason Silverthorn looks set to miss this weekends fixtures at home to Yorkshire rivals Sheffield in the Challenge Cup and away to cellar dwellers Dundee after sustaining an expected concussion in the 5-0 league defeat in Nottingham last night.
The 31 year old was on the receiving end of a dubious hit from Nottingham's Guillaume Lepine, the rangy defenceman initially signed to the Stingrays by Sylvain Cloutier in the summer.
Reports suggest Silverthorn was levelled hard and high, although quite how high is still being debated, by Lepine after he had exited the penalty box having served minutes for a kneeing offence, leaving the Rays player out cold on the ice.
Rays defenceman Jozef Sladok stepped in to fight Lepine for his hit on one of the Rays key players and he was then thrown out of the game by referee Michael Hicks.
The Panthers D man has since been banned for four games - his second such ban for a check to the head this year after an incident with Sheffield's Rob Globke earlier in October - and he has reopened the debate on borderline illegal hits that result in injury.
Silverthorn will be assessed again before this weekend but will probably sit out both games with medical staff likely to approach any head injury with caution.
The Stingrays went on to be taught a lesson by the Panthers, losing 5-0, and the defeat, the club's tenth of the year, has caused the first real concern of the year over the makeup of Cloutier's side.
With just two wins, an overtime loss and a draw to their name in 12 games, changes appear on the cards particularly given that the encouraging initial performances have now begun to dry up.
Injuries have, of course, taken their toll, testing the real quality and depth of Cloutier's squad but his side are really no different to any other Elite League side in that all important facet of the game.
In Jereme Tendler, Matti Uusivirta and Jason Silverthorn the club have more than enough in-form firepower to compete and teeter on the edge of the 500. win mark. Sure, Konstantin Kalmikov looks a shadow of his former self, most likely down to injury, but the backing cast of Andrew Coburn, Lee Mitchell et al gives them more than enough up front, even if the whole team is largely physically invisible.
By all accounts Christian Boucher is performing pretty well too, so the spotlight shines brightly on D in front of him.
Now, by process of elimination the exact location of the club's problem becomes clear.
Captain Kurtis Dulle is performing miracles, icing in all situations and, at times, leading the offence from defence while Craig Mitchell is a prized asset as a young up and coming British defenceman, even if he is currently injured. Aivars Gaisins, while hardly setting the league alight, has been reliable and has another job in the city so is pretty untouchable from a budget point of view.
That leaves so called twin towers Jozef Sladok and Kris Grundmanis and alternate captain Trevor Read.
Slovak Sladok has been steady, although given his size he could do with being much more physical, so looks relatively safe unless a wholescale shift in defence is undertaken by Clouts.
However, having had a very shakey start, his D partner Grundmanis looks less certain. Having been benched and used out of position as forward in recent weeks, most notably at home to Cardiff, he would deservedly appear odds on favourite to be replaced.
It has been noted, however, that he has kept his game simpler as of late and he appeared very determined to prove Cloutier wrong in his only shift against Cardiff. Perhaps a sign he has adapted to the British game and has learnt his lesson.
Canadian Read has slipped under the radar somewhat, his lack of pace has been an issue and partly down to blame for the number of breakaways the Stingrays blueline have allowed thus far, and his unnecessarily fancy play in his own end has caused more trouble than it has relieved.
Either way something has to give if the club is to retain it's early momentum, either they start collating points in order to maintain their seventh place as their vital games in quickly hand run out, or changes will have to be made.
