Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen fell heavily against the ramp and needed to be taken to hospital Thursday during the game against the Seattle Kraken.
Immediately after the faceoff following Matty Beniers’ goal midway through the second period, Lehkonen drove deep into Kraken territory to retrieve the puck. He stretched the stick and at that moment, Jamie Oleksiak made contact with him which caused the Avalanche player to fall head first against the rail.
Lehkonen tried to get up quickly, but he staggered and remained on the ice afterward to wait for the trainer to arrive. He left with the latter towards the locker room before being transported to hospital.
The organization reported that the attacker was conscious, able to react and in control of his movements. His transport to the hospital was as a preventive measure in order to carry out further examinations.
Lehkonen had an assist earlier in the game on Bowen Byram’s net. He has eight points since the start of the campaign.
Trailing 3-1 in the game, the Avalanche rallied thanks to goals from Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin. The meeting is still in progress.
