Kings’ Anze Kopitar, Joel Armia leave game with injuries

Kopitar appeared to sustain his lower-body injury during a battle with Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek near the corner. Originally the two were blocking each other from getting the puck with the bodies while trying to get the puck themselves, and as the puck went by, Eriksson Ek carelessly swung his stick and hit Kopitar in the leg. What specifically caused the injury is not known, but Kopitar started to limp after the stick hit him.

Kopitar left the game at the end of the first period and was not back for the second period, with the team confirming his absence from the game during the second. He finished the game with just a shot attempt and three faceoff wins in four tries in 4:54 of ice time.

Kopitar has struggled in his final season in the NHL more than usual for his standards, as he has just six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 37 games this season, which has him on pace to finish below the 50-point plateau for the first time in a full season in his 20-season NHL career. The traditionally healthy Kings captain has already missed four games this season, as he dealt with a lower-body injury in October.

The cause of Armia’s injury is not known, as there wasn’t a play that appeared like a significant cause to his injury. He left the game midway through the second period of the game, with the team confirming his absence due to an upper-body injury at the start of the third period. Armia finished the game with just a faceoff win on his stat sheet in 9:13 of ice time.

Armia has had a great first season with the Kings, as his nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 41 games currently has him on pace for 32 points, which would surpass his previous career high of 30 set in 2019-20.

At this point in time, no further update on Kopitar or Armia’s injuries and how long they’re expected to be out of the lineup has been provided.