Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell will visit a cardiologist Tuesday in an attempt to learn what caused his elevated heart rate between the second and third periods of Friday's preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings.
The club said Sunday that Hartnell, 29, suffered from abnormal twitching in his right arm between periods, which led to the discovery of an elevated heart rate. He was held out of the third period for precautionary reasons, and after a full team day off Saturday, Hartnell was not on the ice for practice Sunday and will not play in Monday's preseason game against the New York Rangers.
"He had a little bit of an elevated heart rate that would not go down even after rest during the intermission," Holmgren said. "We're getting him checked out. I'm sure it was a scary situation for Scott.
"We're mildly concerned because he is a young guy. He had some twitching in his arms … Jimmy (McCrossin, trainer) looked at him right away and his heart rate was elevated. It should not have been after a period of time that they held him out."
Holmgren would not reveal any further details, only saying, it was an "abnormal amount of time for a professional athlete" to have an elevated heart rate.
Prior to Holmgren's announcement, Hartnell downplayed the reason for his absence from the final period of Friday's 3-1 win.
"Just a maintenance day, just a little sore," he said Sunday. "Soreness everywhere. First couple weeks of the season everyone is having a tweak muscle here and there and it's better to be safe than sorry."
Hartnell was examined by doctors Saturday, but no cause was found for the elevated heart rate, which is why he'll see a cardiologist on Tuesday.
