"I was pretty lucky": Flames' Kylington fine after scary-looking injury
Oliver Kylington could be back in the lineup for the Calgary Flames against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday despite sustaining what appeared to be a gruesome injury on Saturday.
Kylington’s head and neck slammed into the end boards after getting tangled up with Ryan Hartman midway through the third period of a 7-3 win against the Minnesota Wild at the Saddledome on Saturday.
Kylington goes flying into the boards, Markstrom protects him from the fight pic.twitter.com/kd98BaYuCp
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) February 27, 2022
He didn’t finish the game but returned to practice Monday.
“It could’ve ended up badly. I’m just happy that it didn’t,” he said.
“It was a lot of stuff. I was just happy that I’m here and that I was skating today.”
There was plenty of initial concern for Kylington, who appeared to lay motionless on the ice for several moments before leaving the ice under his own power.
The 24-year-old defenceman was “just trying to check in with myself and see how I was doing.”
“I think I was pretty lucky,” Kylington said.
Flames coach Darryl Sutter said Kylington was fine after the game.
“Really if you watch it, he really didn’t hit his head. It was more shoulder/neck. The whole protocol thing,” Sutter said.
“I said that after the game he was fine. That’s the first thing I do when I come off the ice is check on an injured player, and if the player tells me he’s fine then he’s fine.”
Kylington, who could be back to take his usual turn beside Christopher Tanev against the Wild in Minnesota tonight, said that he’d return to the lineup “very soon” and said he felt “pretty good” after Monday’s practice.
He is in the midst of a career year after questions in training camp about whether he still fits in the organization.
Kylington, a pending restricted free agent at season’s end, is already reached NHL career-highs in games (50), goals (6), assists (18), and points (24). He leads all Flames blueliners in goals and plus-minus (+27) and is second in assists and points.
He’s also fifth on the team in ice time with 18:33.