Seattle Krakens’ Andre Burakovsky leaves game with a lower-body injury

Seattle Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky left Tuesday night’s game against the New York Islanders with a lower-body injury. 

The incident seemed to occur in the first period when Burakovsky made strides toward the Islanders’ zone with forward Matt Barzal trailing him. He appeared to be uncomfortable and made his way slightly limping back to the bench, heading down the tunnel to the locker room. He was not on the bench for the second period. Burakovsky logged just 0:21 of ice time. 

The 27-year-old has registered a team-leading 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists) in 48 games this season. He is among the forward leaders for time on ice averaging 16:53 per game. Burakovsky signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Kraken in the summer; the contract holds a $5.5 million cap hit. He posted career highs in goals (22), assists (39) and points (61), helping the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup. Burakovsky also played a significant role in the Washington Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup run where he scored two goals in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals helping the Caps reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1998. Originally drafted 23rd overall in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Capitals, Burakovsky has registered 334 points (136 goals, 198 assists) in 567 career games.

This is the Krakens’ first game back since pausing for the by-week and All-Star break. They currently sit tied for first in the tight race Pacific Division with a record of 29-15-5 for 63 points.