“We know it will be long term,” said Arizona coach Andre Tourigny on Clayton Keller’s injury

“We know it will be long term,” said Arizona coach Andre Tourigny on Clayton Keller’s injury

Clayton Keller

Arizona Coyotes’ forward player Clayton Keller suffered a nasty injury to his leg during Wednesday’s game. This scary incident urged the top-scorer to leave the ice on their game against the San Jose Sharks. He left the field on a stretcher.

It was apparent how much pain he received from the clash. The incident happened with less than six minutes left to play in regulation as Keller was flying through the offensive zone. It was noted that he lost an edge during the puck battle and fell awkwardly into the boards.

The injury can become a potential cause for Coyotes’ forward player Keller’s long-term break from the NHL. The Coyotes only updated that it was a leg injury and that Keller was transported to a local hospital.

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Coyotes’ left-winger Clayton Keller suffers leg injury

Clayton Keller
Clayton Keller

The Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said after the game. “We’re sad to see him not just get hurt, but be in pain like that. We all feel for him, I think the game is almost irrelevant right now. Our thoughts & prayers go out to Kells.”

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Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton scored the last 3 goals for Arizona. In the first period, Nick Ritchie got a goal-in while Karel Vejmelka stopped 39 shots in his sixth consecutive start. Jan Jenik took a centering pass from Phil Kessel and broke a 2-all tie. The game was delayed about 10 minutes with 5:15 remaining after the leading scorer Keller crashed into the boards behind the San Jose net. 

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San Jose coach Bob Boughner said, “I know that him and (Sharks defenseman Nicolas Meloche) made some contact, probably five seconds before that happened,”. “It looked like he just lost an edge or lost his balance going in. He went in pretty nasty. Not good to see.”

Keller was one of the brightest players for the Arizona Coyotes this season, reading the team with 63 points in 67 games. A total of 28 goals and 35 assists.  The Coyotes won the Wednesday game by a 5-2 margin. Jenik noted, “Glad we were able to come out with a win, but obviously we lost our best player.”

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