Anaheim Retaliates after Young Star Taken out of Game by Knee-on-Knee Hit

What should have been a showcase of some of the top young talent in the NHL today was marred by an incident involving one of them. Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks was forced to leave the game against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks after a nasty looking knee-on-knee hit. The Ducks, understandably, were not happy.

With action around the Chicago Blackhawks net, Carlsson attempted to cut through the middle, but collided hard with defenceman Alex Vlasic. Carlsson could be seen grabbing his knee right away. He left the game and did not return.




Early in the third period, the Ducks Ryan Strome decided retribution was needed for the hit, and challenged Vlasic to a fight.


Carlsson was reportedly able to leave the arena on his own once the game has ended, but not without noticeable damage from the knee-on-knee collision.



Carlsson was selected second overall in the most recent NHL draft, right behind Bedard, who was first. While he hasn't had the immediate impact that Bedard has had, Carlsson has done just fine, scoring 9 goals and 24 points in his first 43 games in the league.