Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson suffered a lower-body injury during the team’s 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. The Coyotes are currently listing him as day to day. The team will have an update on him on Wednesday, though.
INJURY UPDATE: Coyotes Captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson suffered a lower-body injury in the second period. He will not return tonight.
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) January 23, 2019
Oliver Ekman-Larsson Leaves Game Early
There is no telling how he suffered the injury, but he did leave the game in the second period. He had a little over 10 minutes of ice-time before leaving the game. Jakob Chychrun moved up to the first pairing after Ekman-Larsson left the game.
So far this season, Ekman-Larsson has scored six goals and 20 assists for 26 points to go along with 26 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 53 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of +5.4 percent.
Ekman-Larsson has spent his entire 9-year career with the Arizona Coyotes. He has 108 goals and 208 assists for 316 career points in 624 career games. He was drafted sixth overall by the Coyotes in 2009.
What This Means For The Future
This would be a major loss for the Coyotes if Ekman-Larsson is out long term as he is their top defenseman and their captain. Ekman-Larsson has a rocket of a shot from the blue-line. He has been a force on the PP as he second on the team in that category.
If Ekman-Larsson is forced to miss tomorrows game vs the Montreal Canadiens, it will be the first game he’s missed since the 2016-17 season. Chychrun will most likely continue to take his spot on the first pairing if he can’t go. The Coyotes begin their all-star break after tomorrow’s game. They won’t play again until February 2nd. It would not be a surprise if they play it safe and rest their captain in tomorrow’s game.
