Kings' Mikey Anderson left bloodied after scary moment that stopped play vs.Canucks
It was a frightening moment at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night, as Los Angeles Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson suffered a scary-looking injury when he was accidentally struck in the side of his head off a shot from Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek.
With just under four minutes remaining in the second period and with his club on the penalty kill, Anderson positioned himself in the slot in front of goaltender Darcy Kuemper and attempted to block the shot from the point from Hronek; the puck struck Anderson up high and he immediately fell to the ice.
It was obvious that Anderson's injury was serious, as several small puddles of blood were evident on the ice. Multiple Kings players immediately raised their arms as soon as he was struck to try and stop the play, and Anderson was tended to by team trainers.
The Canucks eventually emerged victorious over the Kings, winning the game by a 4-2 final score. Before his departure, Anderson had skated in 14:20 of ice time and blocked two shots while earning a +1 rating.
The Kings next take the ice on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at 9:00 PM EST; whether Anderson will be able to play remains to be seen.
Mikey Anderson
A native of Minnesota, Anderson was drafted with the 103rd overall pick by the Kings in the 2017 NHL Draft. While he continued his collegiate playing career for the Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs, he would make his NHL debut for Los Angeles during the 2019-20 season.
Before this season, Kings head coach Jim Hiller spoke at length about wanting to see more from Anderson, via Mayor's Manor.
"Mikey usually gives you what he has, like everybody else," began Hiller. "You have good nights, and you can have some off nights, but Mikey's somebody that gives you what he has. I think he has room to grow as a player. I think he has room to grow as a leader."
"You're always satisfied with Mikey, but Mikey can't be satisfied with Mikey," he continued. "There's more there and we expect more from him. I think, with a letter on his chest, that's a clear indication from the coaching staff and management that we value [him], but we expect more."
