Hurricanes goalie Lack leaves on stretcher after scary OT collision

RALEIGH, N.C. — Andreas Athanasiou chased down the puck in overtime and skated hard toward Carolina goalie Eddie Lack.

As Athanasiou scored the winning goal, he crashed into the goaltender — and Lack didn’t get up.

In a frightening end to the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-3 victory over Carolina on Monday night, Lack remained down on the ice for several minutes before he was taken off on a stretcher.

Both teams remained on the ice and formed a semicircle to watch him. Lack flashed a thumbs-up as he was wheeled away, and he later said on Twitter “everything looks alright and I’ll be able to go home tonight!”

“We are going to regroup,” Hurricanes coach Bill Peters said. “We’re going to come back with the right answer tomorrow, and right now, I think everyone’s thinking about their teammate, and that’s kind of where our thoughts are.

“And then we’ll come in (Tuesday) and we’ll know more about that situation and we’ll refocus on hockey.”

An official review determined that the puck was in the net before Athanasiou made contact with Lack. Replays indicated that Carolina’s Victor Rask hit Athanasiou just before the Detroit NHL center collided with Lack.

Flames 4, Avalanche 2 — At Calgary, Alberta, Sean Monahan scored his team-leading 26th goal and added three assists and Calgary inched closer to clinching a playoff spot.

Lightning 5, Blackhawks 4, OT — At Tampa, Fla., Yanni Gourde had a breakaway goal 4:25 into overtime and Tampa Bay rallied from a threegoal deficit to win its third straight. Victor Hedman set up the winner with his third assist of the game.

Predators 3, Islanders 1 — At New York, Viktor Arvidsson scored early in the second period, Jusse Saros stopped 24 shots and Nashville earned its fourth straight win. Kevin Fiala and Ryan Johansen also scored for the Predators.

Sabres 4, Panthers 2 — At Buffalo, N.Y., Sabres captain Brian Gionta scored while playing his 1,000th career game and Buffalo won for the fourth time in five games. The 15-year veteran was honored during a pregame ceremony.

Blues 4, Coyotes 1 — At St. Louis, Jaden Schwartz scored twice and Jake Allen made 21 saves to help St. Louis win for the 10th straight time against Arizona. The Blues have won 10 of their last 12 games overall.