About four minutes into the second period of the Dallas Stars and Los Angeles Kings game, Stars winger Patrick Sharp was hit by L.A. defender Brayden McNabb. It was a hard hit, that sent Sharp head first into the boards. He left the game after the hit, and didn’t return.
Later in the game, Antoine Roussel tried to pull McNabb out of a scrum and fight him. Roussel was sent to the penalty box, where he violently threw down a water bottle holder. All at once, Roussel received two roughing penalties, and unsportsmanlike, and a misconduct.
Patrick Sharp Out with Concussion-Like Symptoms
The Kings went on to win the game 4-3, with Alec Martinez scoring a minute into overtime.
Not much has been released about Sharp’s injury. Head coach Lindy Ruff said he’ll be out, ‘a while’, although it’s hard to tell just how long. Although he was riddled with lower body injuries in March, and eventually played through a separated shoulder in the postseason, this is his first known concussion.
Last season, Sharp showed no decline, despite his age. In 76 games, he had 55 points, which placed him fifth on the team in points. In the playoffs, he had six points in 13 games, before the Stars were eliminated by the St. Louis Blues.
This is Sharp’s second season with the Stars, after being traded to them from the Chicago Blackhawks. In exchange for Sharp, the Blackhawks received Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt. Both Daley and Garbutt left the Blackhawks that same season, Daley going to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Garbutt going to the Anaheim Ducks.
Sharp has one assist in four games so far. He’s spent most of his time playing on the second line with Devin Shore and Brett Ritchie. Although Shore and Ritchie are both good players, it’s very obvious that Sharp is the powerhouse of this line. He could easily reach 50 points again this year, if this injury doesn’t sideline him too much. However, this injury could also be a chance for Mattias Janmark to see more NHL time. He is currently without a game this season, and will most likely draw into the lineup in Sharp absence, though nothing is confirmed yet.
