Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson will miss Thursday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings and is day-to-day after his scooter was struck by a vehicle on the way to dinner, general manager Brad Treliving said Thursday.

The Flames, who were in Detroit ahead of their game, said that Andersson was on his way to dinner around 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday when another vehicle collided with his scooter. Treliving told reporters that Andersson was going through a crosswalk when the accident happened. He also said he wanted to cease any speculation by further stating alcohol was not involved.

Sportsnet’s Eric Francis tweeted that Flames center Mikael Backlund said the team’s Swedish players were waiting for Andersson to join them for dinner. That’s when they heard about the collision before Andersson sent them a selfie from the hospital letting them know he was OK.

Andersson was taken to the hospital for testing before he was released later that evening. The team said Andersson will remain with them for the remainder of their trip that sees them play the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday and finishes Monday against the Ottawa Senators. Treliving told reporters that Andersson is “doing well and in good spirits” while adding “it certainly could have been a lot worse.”

“He won’t play tonight, and we’ll take this real slow. … Not anything that we’re overly concerned about,” Treliving told reporters. “But he got hit, so we’re going to see how things go over the next 24 hours and go from there.”

Shortly after addressing reporters about Andersson, the team announced it had recalled defenseman Dennis Gilbert from the AHL.

Missing Andersson means the Flames will be without one of their most important players in the interim as they continue their chase for a playoff spot. The Flames entered Thursday with the same point total as the Minnesota Wild, who are currently occupying the final Western Conference wild-card spot with the Wild having played one fewer game.

Andersson’ influence this season has led to him scoring seven goals and 34 points, which ranks fourth on the team and is the most by a Flames defenseman. He also leads the Flames with 24:40 in average ice time while also leading them in 5-on-5 minutes in addition to being second in both power-play and short-handed ice time.

Source: www.espn.com