Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal had to leave Tuesday night's game in Minnesota after an awkward collision with a linesman. Staal accidentally skated into the official while battling for a puck and was visibly shaken up as a result, and he didn't return to the game. 

The incident occurred in the first period of the Wild's game against the Anaheim Ducks and came as Staal attempted to beat Ducks forward Derek Grant to a loose puck along the boards. As Staal took some slight body contact from Grant, he didn't appear to see the lineman working the blue line that the two players were about to cross. The official attempted to jump onto the boards to get out of the way of the oncoming players but Staal skated straight into the zebra and took the brunt of the impact with his head and shoulder area. 

The awkward collision quickly led to concern as Staal remained on the ice in distress. The 35-year-old forward remained flat on his back for several minutes while the team's medical staff tended to him, eventually getting up and skating to the bench with some assistance. 

Staal didn't return to the game and, as of Tuesday night, the Wild have yet to release an update on his status. 

The ugly nature of the collision combined with the lack of update is worrisome for Staal and the Wild. Not only is he a crucial veteran presence in the front end of Minnesota's lineup, he's also tied for the club lead in scoring (8-13-21) this season. If he's forced to miss time as a result of the injury, it would be a big blow for a Wild team that has been getting it together recently following a slow start to the season.