Coyotes' Richardson carted off ice on stretcher

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Coyotes forward Brad Richardson was carted off the ice on a stretcher in the second period of Arizona's game against Vancouver on Thursday night and taken to a hospital.

Richardson injured his right leg on an innocent-looking hit from Canucks defenseman Nikita Tryamkin with 8:37 left in the second period.

The 31-year-old Richardson crumpled to the ice and threw his gloves off in agony under the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Tryamkin.

"He's in a lot of pain," Coyotes captain Shane Doan told FOX Sports Arizona's Todd Walsh between the second and third periods.

Medical staffs from both teams attended to Richardson by the boards in the Canucks' zone for several minutes before loading him onto a stretcher. His right leg was elevated as fans at Rogers Arena gave the former Vancouver player a nice ovation before he was placed in a waiting ambulance.

The Coyotes said they expect to update Richardson's condition on Friday.

"It's a big hole we have to fill in the middle," goalie Louie Domingue said. "He plays crucial minutes in crucial areas of the game, but just the fact he goes down like that, it is a big bummer for our team."

Richardson opened the scoring earlier in the period with his fifth goal of the season.