Florida Panthers goaltender Al Montoya was forced to leave the game against the Minnesota Wild on Sunday after taking an elbow to the head, according to the Associated Press.
Montoya left the game in the first period after a collision with Minnesota's Marco Scandella, the Miami Herald reported. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad hit Scandella, which pushed the forward into Montoya, causing the hit to the head. Scandella hit Montoya with his elbow and Montoya went down on the ice, hitting his head as he fell. He was later helped off the ice by the Panthers medical staff.
Scandella received a penalty on the play and Montoya was unable to return to the game, according to Roto World. Montoya had been putting up some strong numbers for the Panthers over the past few weeks, and now he could be out for a stretch of time with an upper-body injury. He had allowed one goal in the game and had three saves before leaving.
Roberto Luongo came in for Montoya and finished the game for the Panthers. Montoya has been putting up career numbers for the Panthers this season with a 1.96 goals against average and a .928 save percentage in 18 games played. The Panthers are battling for playoff position in the Eastern Conference, and they are currently leading the Atlantic Division with 78 points.
The team took a disappointing loss on Sunday, as Minnesota had not won at home since back in December, ESPN reports. Luongo was not expecting to play on Sunday, but he was forced to come in after Montoya was hit.
