Tuesday night was not a night that many NHL fans will want to remember – at least for the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, and Los Angeles Kings. Three important players – Anze Kopitar, Connor McDavid, and Chris Kelly were all forced out of play on Tuesday due to various injuries, which vary in severity.
Here’s a quick recap of the injuries to the three players:
Anze Kopitar – Upper-Body Injury
Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar has become one of the faces of his team and has helped lead his club to two Stanley Cups. However, the Slovenian forward was forced out of action Tuesday night after taking an inadvertent hit to the head following a collision with St. Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves.
Kopitar appeared to be hit with either the elbow or the butt-end of Reaves’ stick.
He remained in the game for what was left of the first period but did not return for the second period.
Kopitar’s injury did not seem to be too worrisome, as he played some after immediately leaving the ice, however, he was forced out of the game, so we’ll see if the 24-year-old can make it back in time for Los Angeles’ match-up Thursday against the Panthers.
Connor McDavid – Upper-Body Injury
Connor McDavid has been the talk of the town in Edmonton since being drafted first overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. However, it appears the young goal-scorer may be sidelined after an injury he sustained against the Flyers on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old suffered from what appeared to be a left shoulder injury after slamming into the boards with Flyers defensemen Brandon Manning and Michael Del Zotto in the second period.
McDavid, the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for October, was seen during the intermission wearing a sling on his left arm, according to CSN Philadelphia. Reports say that McDavid suffered a “long-term injury”, with more information to come.
Feel for McDavid. Brutal for the Oilers and the sport itself. Just brutal.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) November 4, 2015
For more information on McDavid, check out Mike Straw’s post here.
Update: McDavid will have surgery on Wednesday and will be out for “months”.
Chris Kelly – Fractured Femur
The most gruesome injury from Tuesday night was actually a non-contact injury sustained by Boston Bruins forward Chris Kelly. Just 1:40 into Tuesday night’s match-up against the Dallas Stars, Kelly’s leg appeared to give out from under him, and play was immediately stopped.
It was later released that Chris Kelly had fractured his left femur.
Kelly will have surgery on Wednesday and is expected to miss 6-8 months. Since he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, there’s a possibility that Kelly may have played his last game in a Bruins uniform.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney released a statement regarding Kelly, per bruins.nhl.com:
“Chris sustained a left femur fracture in the first period of the Bruins/Stars game on Tuesday, November 3 and was transported to Mass General Hospital. He will undergo surgery on Wednesday, November 4 at Mass General Hospital and his expected recovery time is between six and eight months.”
For more information on Kelly, check out Dustin Nelson’s post here.