Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet might have cringed as Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson limped to the bench, but that's a reaction Tocchet has each time the veteran blueliner blocks a shot.
But this time, the cringes were warranted.
After blocking a shot from Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson in the first period of Saturday's game in Denver, Hjalmarsson knelt in front of one puck that left a not-so-sweet parting gift.
The veteran defenseman has a cracked fibula that will force him out of the lineup for approximately three months, league sources confirmed to The Republic.