Flyers’ Scott Laughton Carried Off Ice, Hospitalized After Big Hit In Game 4 Win Over Capitals

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 in Game 4 of the NHL Playoffs at their own Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night, but the victory unfortunately came at a cost.

Flyers’ Scott Laughton Carried Off Ice

Flyers center Scott Laughton was carried off the ice on a stretcher and was transported to a Philadelphia hospital after a hit from Capitals defenseman John Carlson sent him crashing into the boards with just under four minutes left in the first period, as the Flyers led 1-0.

“You don’t like to see a player go down like that, especially when he wasn’t moving and we weren’t too sure what was going on,” Flyers captain Claude Giroux told reporters after the game, via ESPN.com. “We were obviously thinking about him.”

The team later announced that Laughton, 21, would remain hospitalized overnight for “precautionary reasons” and that all tests came back negative.

“You never like to see that,” Carlson told reporters, via Philly.com. “I was thinking about him. I’m hoping he’s fine. It’s just one of those plays. We’re kind of even, and he’s trying to stickhandle through me and take it to the net, and I’m trying to defend him.

“It’s tough to talk about. You never want to see that happen. It’s just one of those plays that you feel like you do a lot in the game, and it never ends up like that. I feel for him. I hope he’s fine. But I don’t know. I’m not going to let him walk to the net.”

The Flyers are already down one center in Sean Couturier, who is out for the remainder of the series with an upper-body injury after Capitals star Alex Ovechkin delivered a huge hit to him in Game 1. Laughton’s status for the remainder of the postseason remains to be seen.

Defenseman Andrew MacDonald scored the game winner less than four minutes into the second period. The two teams will next replay each other in Washington on Friday night for Game 5.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 22: Scott Laughton #49 of the Philadelphia Flyers takes the puck in the first period against the New York Rangers on April 7, 2015 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)