Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson has knee injury, is listed as day-to-day
Jan 24, 2019, 3:06 PM | Updated: 6:28 pm
Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the New York Rangers during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
The Arizona Coyotes announced Thursday defenseman and captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and would be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.
But more specifically, 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro reports that Ekman-Larsson suffered a slight tear in his meniscus and will likely miss just three weeks.
He suffered the injury on Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators.
The status of the top-pairing defenseman wasn’t previously known. It was only revealed Wednesday that he would undergo an MRI on Thursday morning, once the team had returned to Arizona and entered its All-Star break. Because of a league-mandated bye week, the Coyotes won’t play another game until Feb. 2.
Ekman-Larsson missed Wednesday night’s game in Montreal, which the Coyotes lost 2-1.
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Losing the 27-year-old would be a significant blow to the Coyotes, who enter the break just two points out of a playoff spot and have already been crushed by injuries all year. Forward Nick Schmaltz is done for the season, while defenseman Jason Demers, forwards Christian Dvorak, Michael Grabner and Brad Richardson, and goaltender Antti Raanta are all out indefinitely.
After signing an eight-year extension this offseason, Ekman-Larsson has scored six goals with 20 assists in 49 games this year, averaging 23:41 of ice time per game.
