VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Coyotes forward Brad Richardson was carted off the ice on a stretcher in the second period of Arizona's 3-2 loss to Vancouver on Thursday night.
Richardson, 31, was taken to the hospital for further evaluation, and the Coyotes said they expect to update his condition Friday.
"It's a big hole we have to fill in the middle," goalie Louis Domingue said. "He plays crucial minutes in crucial areas of the game, but just the fact he goes down like that, it is a big bummer for our team."
Richardson injured his right leg on an innocent-looking hit from Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin with 8:37 left in the second period. Richardson crumpled to the ice and threw his gloves off in agony under the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Tryamkin.
Medical staffs from both teams attended to Richardson by the boards in the Canucks' zone for several minutes before loading him onto a stretcher. His right leg was elevated as fans at Rogers Arena gave the former Vancouver player a nice ovation before he was placed in a waiting ambulance.
Richardson opened the scoring earlier in the period with his fifth goal of the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
