Wild’s Sturm sent to hospital for exam after puck strikes his head, reminding team of Faber’s injury

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Wild forward Nico Sturm was taken to a hospital for precautionary evaluation after he was hit in the head by a puck in their game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night.

Sturm was inadvertently struck on the right side of his helmet by a slap shot by teammate Jared Spurgeon in the first period of Minnesota’s 4-2 victory. The crowd that was roaring after the Wild built a three-goal lead went eerily silent when Sturm dropped to the ice, where he was tended to by team medical staff before slowly skating off with assistance.

Wild coach John Hynes had no update on Sturm’s condition but said he was not likely to travel with the team for the game at Winnipeg on Tuesday.

The fluke occurrence instantly made the Wild think of defenseman Brock Faber, who is out indefinitely after taking a puck to the head during their last preseason game and being diagnosed with a skull fracture. Faber actually returned to play before feeling discomfort and being sent to a hospital for further examination.

Sturm, who was playing left wing on the fourth line, was helped off the ice by center Michael McCarron, who couldn’t help but think of Faber.

“Holding his ear, same spot kind of,” McCarron said. “I felt horrible. Us as a fourth line, we like to get to the net, and pucks are flying by us all the time. It’s kind of a dangerous area to go. That’s why not a lot of people love to go to the net. It’s scary around there, and I’m just praying for the best for him. He seemed to be OK when I saw him after the first, but yeah, it’s scary.”

The 31-year-old Sturm has mostly played center in his career, but he has been filling in on the fourth line with veterans Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno both sidelined by unspecified injuries. With Faber out and backup goalie Filip Gustavsson still on the mend following offseason hip surgery, the Wild are banged up but still off to a 4-1-1 start.

“You have to deal with the hands you’re dealt, and that’s why it’s such an important thing to have a strong team game, where you are structured and you do have an identity of how you want to play and guys understand it,” Hynes said.

Faber, for his part, visited his team at the rink on Monday and attended the game. He has another medical evaluation coming up soon, Hynes said, and has been making “lots of good progress” since the injury.

“He’s doing really good,” Hynes said. “He’s in good spirits.”

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