Carolina forward Erik Cole was removed from the ice on a stretcher in the third period last night in Sunrise, Fla., after colliding with Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun, marring the Hurricanes' 4-3 win that gave coach Peter Laviolette his 200th NHL coaching victory.
Cole was injured at 12:34 as he was driving to the net. He was checked from behind by defenseman Jassen Cullimore and crashed headfirst into Vokoun's pads.
"He was saying, 'Something is wrong with my neck,' " Vokoun said. "He didn't want to move. It's tough. It's a contact game. Things like that can happen, unfortunately."
Cole remained motionless for several minutes before being taken off the ice. He was released from the hospital later last night and was cleared to fly after a CT scan was negative.
"From what I understand, he had movement in his limbs," Laviolette said immediately after the game.
"He had some pain in his trapezoid area, and I think with his previous injury, not knowing what's going on in there, it was just better to be safe."
Cole sustained a fractured vertebra March 4, 2006, when he was boarded by Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik.
Cory Stillman scored his second goal of the game with 1:06 left to give Carolina the victory.
Flyers 3, Islanders 2 - Scottie Upshall scored twice as Philadelphia remained undefeated at home.
The Flyers are 6-0 at the
Mike Richards scored the go-ahead goal for the Flyers in the third period.
Sharks 5, Coyotes 0 - Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi scored two goals each and host San Jose beat Phoenix for the second time in three days.
Mike Grier also scored and Evgeni Nabokov stopped 25 shots for his second shutout.
The Sharks earned consecutive home wins for the first time this season.
Devils 3, Penguins 2 - Patrik Elias ended an 11-game slump without a goal, scoring with 5 1/2 minutes remaining as New Jersey turned back a rally by host Pittsburgh.
Predators 4, Blue Jackets 1 - J.P. Dumont had two goals and an assist, and Nashville sent host Columbus to its fourth straight loss.
