Photo by Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
The Nashville Predators will be without rookie forward Kevin Fiala for the remainder of the season after the 20-year-old underwent surgery to repair a broken leg suffered during a nasty collision on Wednesday.As he was taking the puck to the net at top speed with Robert Bortuzzo defending, Fiala fell to the ice as the Blues defenceman was making contact, causing the Predators' forward to slide hard and extremely awkwardly into the end boards. Fiala instantly appeared to be in bad shape, rolling over and screaming in obvious pain, as trainers and medical staff rushed on the ice to help him.Fiala was down for several minutes before being taken off on a stretcher, and was later taken to hospital where it was revealed that he broke his left femur—the largest and most dense bone in the leg.It's a big loss for the Preds up front, who will miss not only Fiala's speed but also his finish around the net, which was never more evident than when he buried a clutch overtime winner against the Blackhawks in Game 3 last round to all but seal the upset for Nashville. Fiala has found chemistry with linemate James Neal as of late, and has two goals in Nashville's five games this postseason while averaging just shy of 14 minutes of ice time per night.During his first full NHL regular season, Fiala posted 11 goals and 5 assists in 54 games, and is expected to be ready for the start for training camp next fall.