Tkachuk’s injury adds to Calgary’s problems
This would be a double whammy.
The Calgary Flames lost a crucial contest, unable to dig themselves out of an early hole in Sunday ’s 5-2 defeat to the New York Islanders at the Saddledome.
The fear is they might have also lost a key piece to injury.
Flames sparkplug Matthew Tkachuk made an early exit after an awkward spill into the boards in Sunday’s third period, appearing to hit his head as he tumbled.
There was no post-game update on the health of the 20-year-old left winger, who needed attention from the training staff on the ice before slowly climbing back to his feet and heading straight to the locker-room.
“We know how tough a kid he is. There have been instances this year where he’s done similar things, and he always seems to bounce right back up after,” said Flames netminder Mike Smith. “So when you see him that slowly getting up, you’re obviously concerned. He’s been a big part of our team this year and a guy that is really hard to replace. Obviously, we know what kind of player he is and the energy he brings, so hopefully it’s nothing serious.”
Smith was back between the pipes against the Islanders, big news after the all-star puck-stopper missed a month due to a lowerbody injury.
With all due respect to veteran winger Kris Versteeg (hip surgery), that gave the Flames a full complement of their go-to guys.
For most of one night, anyway. Tkachuk has tallied 24 times and added 25 assists this winter, ranking second on his team in goals and third in total points. Along with linemates Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik, he’s also counted on to match up against the opposing top guns.
With a dozen dates remaining on the regular-season slate, the Flames remain on the wrong side of the cut-off in the West Conference playoff race.
If Tkachuk lands on the injured list, that would be another hit to their fading hopes.
“He doesn’t stay down unless he’s hurt, so that’s what is concerning,” said Flames captain Mark Giordano. “He is one of our top players. Every night, he creates. He creates power plays for us. He creates chances. He’s just a big part of our team, a top-six guy. So hopefully he’s OK.”
With just over five minutes remaining in Sunday’s final stanza, Tkachuk seemed to have rookie sensation Mathew Barzal in his trolley tracks for a defensive-zone crunch.
Trouble is, Barzal was tripped up, with the Calder Trophy frontrunner falling to the ice. Tkachuk pivoted but flipped over the sliding opponent, crashing into the boards in awkward fashion.
The Flames’ snarky sophomore appeared to hit his noggin and was slow to rise after a whistle, with Flames trainer Kent Kobelka arriving at the scene and spending most of a television timeout with Tkachuk before he climbed back to his feet and skated gingerly off the ice.
He retreated to the locker-room and did not return for the final few minutes of action.
“It looked scary. I don’t know exactly how it is, but it seemed like he bumped his head,” said Frolik, who patrols the opposite wing on the Flames’ 3M Line. “Obviously, it’s sad to see him go down, but hopefully he’s going to be all right. We’ll see (Monday), I guess.
“He’s having a great season. He’s big on that power play unit in front of the net and he’s always great around the net. It would be a big loss, for sure. Maybe he’s going to be OK, but obviously when he left the ice, it didn’t look good.”