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The news went from bad to worse for the Canucks AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
Already reeling from a winless road trip and a five-game losing streak overall, the Moose confirmed yesterday that defenceman Mike Funk suffered a concussion in Saturday's 4-1 loss to the Texas Stars and will be lost for a minimum of seven days and quite possibly longer.
Since Funk had two concussions last season, the Moose plan to proceed with caution.
"It's a major concern, that's three in just a little over a year," said Moose coach Scott Arniel. "We'll see where we're at after seven days and make a professional and personal decision on him at that time."
As for the on-ice situation, after dropping a pair of home games to the Norfolk Admirals, the Moose wrapped up a busy stretch of five games in six days (plus travel) by losing to the Houston Aeros and twice to the Stars.
The biggest issue is a familiar one.
"Our lack of scoring production is the biggest concern right now," said Arniel, whose team returns to the ice this morning to begin preparations for a weekend set against the Toronto Marlies. "All you can do is continue to work at the good habits - hitting the net, getting to the net and battling."
Trying to find ways to create more offence will be a focal point of practice this week for the Moose, who will play four home games over the span of the next two weeks.