Blackhawks’ Teuvo Teravainen leaves game against Oilers

The Chicago Blackhawks have announced that forward Teuvo Teravainen left Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Blackhawks did not disclose the reason why Teravainen left the game. There wasn’t a notable play in the game that looked to cause an injury, but he did not come out for the second period of the game, with the team then confirming he won’t return at the start of the third period.

Teravainen left the game with just one takeaway on his stat sheet in 5:27 of ice time.

The Blackhawks don’t play again until Thursday against the Calgary Flames, with that game also taking place in Chicago, so if the absence is injury-related, it will give Teravainen plenty of time to be evaluated. If an update on his status isn’t provided after the game, one should be expected during a practice ahead of game day, or during morning skate on Thursday.

Teravainen will have to hope the injury isn’t long term, as he’s set to play for Finland at the Olympic Games for the first time in his career.

Teravainen has had a down year for Chicago with just nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 45 games. He’s currently on pace for 37 points, which would be only the third time in his career he’s failed to hit the 40-point mark in a full season.

The Blackhawks were already in tough to beat the Oilers, as star forward Connor Bedard missed the game due to an illness. Bedard had played in just two games after missing the previous 12 with an upper-body injury. Should Teravainen miss any significant time, Bedard would be the likely replacement in the lineup.

The Blackhawks currently sit in sixth in the Central Division with a 19-20-7 record, and are three points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. Chicago will look to bounce back from their loss to the Oilers when they host the Flames on Thursday at 7:30 CST.