William Nylander injures himself while celebrating goal against Vegas

What was already a must-watch game in Vegas took a bizarre turn Thursday night.

The Golden Knights hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs was never going to be just another regular-season matchup: not with Mitch Marner facing his former team for the first time. From the opening faceoff, the pace was frantic, the hits were heavy, and the Leafs played like a team with something to prove.

Then came one of the strangest moments of the night. In the first period, William Nylander buried his 17th goal of the season to give Toronto a 2–0 lead. As Nylander celebrated the goal with his teammates, cameras caught him awkwardly tweaking his ankle in the scrum.

Score. Celly. Injury. All in the span of a few seconds.

Watch the moment for yourself below:

Nylander didn’t return to the bench afterward and was noticeably absent to start the second period. Almost immediately, concern started swirling. Had he aggravated a previous injury? Was it something serious? Some speculated it could be a left lateral ankle sprain.

Not long after, the Leafs made it official: Nylander had suffered a lower-body injury and would not return to the game.

After the game, head coach Craig Berube did confirm that Nylander had an aggravation of his previous lower-body injury and could not say how long he would be out.

Just brutal luck. You can prepare for blocked shots, and open-ice collisions, but getting hurt while celebrating your own goal? That was unexpected…