Canucks defenseman Philip Larsen taken off ice on stretcher following hit

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Philip Larsen was taken off the ice on a stretcher following a hit by New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall during the second period of the teams' game Tuesday.

Larsen was moving the puck along the boards behind the Vancouver net when he was caught by Hall.

The Canucks reported that Larsen was "awake and responsive" when he was taken off the ice, and that he was then taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

“I’m looking to make contact there, but I never want to see a guy laying on the ice like that,” Hall said. “I only know how to play the game one way and you’ve got to play it hard. I feel terrible. He’s a former teammate of mine. I would have loved to make a hit there and continue the play. I hope he’s all right.”

No penalty was called on the play.

Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins had no update on Larsen’s condition after the game, and he did not know if the 27-year-old would remain in the hospital overnight.

“You always have a problem with a hit when one of your guys gets hit hard,” Desjardins said. “It doesn’t even matter if it’s a clean hit. You still have a problem when a guy gets hit that hard.”

Hall felt he was doing his job.

“It makes me feel a little bit better that everyone was saying it was a clean hit and the referees agreed,” Hall said. “In that sense, I don’t have any regrets with what I did. I try to keep all my extremities in close, and I just wanted to make contact chest to chest. Sometimes it doesn’t work out like that.”

Larsen is in his first season with the Canucks after having spent his previous two seasons in the KHL. He had previously played for Dallas and Edmonton in the NHL.

UPDATE: The Canucks reported on Wednesday that Larsen was "discharged from the hospital and medically cleared to return to Vancouver." They also reported that Larsen's movements were fine.