Connor McDavid won the face-off at the start of the match away against Columbus, but the first shift was over after 37 seconds. When he tried to enter the offensive zone, he was knocked down by home defenseman Zach Werenski and clutched his left leg as he skated towards Edmonton's goal.
The center went straight to the locker room and did not play anymore in the match, which Columbus won 6–1.
He's heading home to Edmonton. He will undergo an examination, says coach Kris Knoblauch.
This means that McDavid, who has been named NHL's most valuable player three times, will miss at least the away match against Nashville and probably also the away match against Calgary this weekend.
Columbus led 6–0 before Swedish defenseman Mattias Ekholm could score a consolation goal with 27 seconds left to play.
Last spring's Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton – where they lost to Florida 3–4 in matches – has had a shaky start to the season with only four wins in ten matches.
