COLUMBUS -- Sean Kuraly was taken to the hospital after the Columbus Blue Jackets forward sustained an abdominal injury that led to the final 19 seconds of the first period of a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Nationwide Arena on Saturday being suspended.
The Blue Jackets announced Sunday that all tests were negative and Kuraly had been released later Saturday night.
Columbus coach Pascal Vincent Vincent said after the game he believed Kuraly had been hit in the chest by a stick.
“They are checking if there is any bleeding or anything like that,” he said. “It was also a head hit, so it was a combination of the upper body.”
Kuraly was sandwiched in a check between Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews and defenseman Jake McCabe when he temporarily went down behind the Toronto net. He got up, then hunched over and skated to the bench.
Kuraly was headed down the tunnel when he collapsed. His teammates and coaches frantically began waving for medical personnel from across the ice, even throwing a towel to get the attention of the officials to stop play.
“I saw him get hit on the far side,” Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli said. “He was my (line) change, so I was watching him come off and he's coming slowly and hunched over. I jumped on the ice and the whistle blew, and a lot of commotion went over on the bench.
“We're praying for him. We're really happy he's doing OK. That's scary. You never want to see that happen.”
Vincent said he was also unsure of what was going on behind him.
“It was a scary moment; you don't know what happened,” Vincent said. “What happened was the hit, and then he came back to the bench. And then what happened in the in the hallway? I don't know. I just saw the trainers and the medical staff, and it was urgent. It's not fun.”
The Blue Jackets were losing 1-0 at the time play was suspended. When the game resumed after the normal intermission, the 19 seconds were played. The second period then began with a face-off, and 22 seconds later Justin Danforth tied it 1-1 before the Maple Leafs went on to win.
“The first little bit was pretty tense, but once we got that word, you reset and you go out. There's nothing we can do,” Columbus defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. “At the end of the day, he's with the people that can help him best. As hockey players, you're told to go back out on the ice. The first thing that comes to your mind is it's called, ‘Winning for this guy’ kind of idea. If anything, it probably heightens your focus in that way.
“They got word to us that he's fine. I’m excited to go check up on him myself.”
