Golden Knights' Howden out of hospital after being stretchered off ice

Brett Howden appears to have avoided a serious injury scare.

The Vegas Golden Knights forward is no longer in the hospital after being removed from Thursday's game on a stretcher, Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer said Friday, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

DeBoer said Howden is sore but has no broken bones, adding that the center is "probably out for a while."

The bench boss also said Howden was at the Golden Knights' facility Friday morning, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Ben Gotz.

Howden had to be stretchered off the ice after colliding awkwardly with Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg. Howden was falling before he was hit and crashed against the boards headfirst.

The 23-year-old was in stable condition shortly after the incident but was taken to hospital for further testing.

Howden is in his first season with Vegas after playing his first three NHL campaigns with the New York Rangers.

Meanwhile, the injury-riddled Golden Knights got more bad news Friday. Max Pacioretty suffered a setback in his recovery and won't be available to play in the near future, DeBoer said. Pacioretty hasn't suited up since March 11 due to an undisclosed ailment.

Vegas currently has six players on IR, including Pacioretty, starting goaltender Robin Lehner, and star winger Mark Stone. The Golden Knights also have two players (Brayden McNabb and Michael Amadio) on the COVID-19 list.