Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast left the Canes' final regular season game in the second period after taking a hard spill into the end boards.

As he tried to race towards the Columbus Blue Jackets' net, Columbus defenseman Erik Gudbranson cross checked Fast in the lower back, causing the Swedish forward to lose his balance and fall to the ice, where his momentum caused him to crash into the end boards.

It appeared that Fast's initial point of impact was his back and he was able to get to his feet and skate off the ice, although he did go immediately to the locker room and would not return.

When asked about his status after the game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour didn't have an update.

"That's the part that just makes you sick, to be honest with you," Brind'Amour said. "You're just trying to get through the game without having that. I'm not sure where it's going to go, but that's the bad thing about what happened tonight."

Fast has six goals and 19 points in 73 games with the Hurricanes this season and is an important penalty killing forward. He's a strong forechecker and one of the better defensive players in the league.

Any prolonged absence for him, while not being a critical loss, would still be an impactful one for Carolina.