Eric Staal went head-first into the boards and was shaken up. Hopefully he's ok because this looks ugly pic.twitter.com/LbaQBtZpFQ
— Bar South N Celly™ (@BarSouthNCelly) April 22, 2017
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota Wild top-line center Eric Staal left Game 5 of the Western Conference first-round series versus the St. Louis Blues after sustaining an apparent head injury in the second period on Saturday.
The Wild announced Staal is alert and stable and has been taken to the hospital for further observation.
With the teams skating 4-on-4, Staal skated through the slot before being stopped by St. Louis goalie Jake Allen with 6:07 remaining in the session. The 32-year-old Staal appeared to stumble over Allen's right skate and was tripped by Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarson, sending the veteran into the end boards.
Staal remained motionless on the ice for several moments before needing assistance to get to his feet and retreat to the locker room.
Staal had a team-leading 28 goals in his first season with the Wild.
