- Mikhail Sergachev left Utah’s win in New Jersey after a teammate’s clearing attempt hit him in the head
- The Mammoth ruled him out with an upper-body injury, and Andre Tourigny had no update after the game
- Read below for video of the Sergachev injury and the big night he had before it
The Mammoth lost their top defenseman to friendly fire on Tuesday night.
Mikhail Sergachev left Utah’s 5-3 win over the Devils late in the second period after a clearing attempt by his own defense partner, MacKenzie Weegar, caught him in the head near his left ear. He went to the bench and straight down the tunnel with 29 seconds left in the frame.
Utah ruled him out for the rest of the night a short time later:
Check out the video of the Sergachev injury, including the replay:
Sergachev went down to his knees right away and was slow getting back up. Head coach Andre Tourigny didn’t have an update on his condition after the game.
It’s a rough way to end what was shaping up as a huge night. Sergachev had three assists before the injury, including the 300th of his career, which came in his 634th NHL game.
One of those helpers came on Clayton Keller’s power-play goal in the first period:
Utah’s power play has been the story of the young season. The Mammoth went 2-for-4 against New Jersey and are now 8-for-13 through four games, with Sergachev quarterbacking from the point.
He’s also been leaned on harder than anyone else on the roster. Sergachev came into Tuesday leading the team in ice time at just under 23 minutes a night. The 28-year-old is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $68 million contract and put up 59 points (10 goals, 49 assists) in 78 games last season.
Depth on the back end was already a concern. Utah lost Maveric Lamoureux for four to six months after shoulder surgery at the end of September, so any extended absence for Sergachev would stretch a thin group even further.
Wild defenseman Brock Faber went through something similar in the preseason when a puck struck him in the head, which is exactly the comparison Utah fans were making online Tuesday night.
Next up for the Mammoth (3-1-0) is a Thursday visit to Boston, and their five-game road trip wraps up in Buffalo on Saturday.
