The Edmonton Oilers were about to cap off an incredible win over the league's best team in the Minnesota Wild, but in the final moments, they lost Evan Bouchard after a dirty hit.
In the final four minutes of the Oilers' 7-1 win over the Wild, Bouchard went to collect a puck behind the net and took a side check from Hartman before they reached the puck.
Bouchard was hit hard and collided head-first with the net before crashing into the end boards.
Being the final minutes of the game, it's hard to read into the severity of the injury, but Bouchard did not return to play in the game.
Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard injured after dirty hit from Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman
Hartman delivered this check to Bouchard in an extremely vulnerable position, and with Bouchard well away from making a play on the puck.
On the bench, Bouchard was bent over in clear pain and looked to be limping when he was getting off the ice. Bouchard took hard contact in multiple places, and potentially suffered an injury.
It's simply dirty hit and avoidable check to make in this position.
After the game, Coach Knoblauch said that the Oilers won't know more about Bouchard's status until further evaluations.
Oilers president Jeff Jackson just made a commitment to signing Bouchard, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Although he does make some big turnovers sometimes, he's one of the best offensive defenders in the league and he's the best defenseman for the Oilers period.
For now, all Oilers fans can do is hope that Bouchard didn't suffer a serious injury and will be able to get back on the ice as soon as possible.
