Capitals' Carlson out indefinitely after taking slap shot to head

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson was released from a hospital Saturday and will be out for an indefinite period of time, the club announced.

The Capitals' medical staff is still looking after Carlson, who was taken to hospital Friday night following a slap shot to the side of the head less than a minute into the third period. He left the game and didn't return.

John Carlson took a slapshot straight to the face and left the ice immediately in serious pain#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/bGp9uph74X

- Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights (@HockeyDaily365) December 24, 2022

Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette said postgame that Carlson was transported to a local hospital for a precautionary evaluation, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti.

Ovechkin said everyone was thinking about John Carlson in third period

- Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) December 24, 2022

Carlson is an indispensable member of the Caps. He paces Washington's blue-liners with 21 points in 30 games and leads the team in average time on ice (23:24).

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