Sharks' Hertl, leading rookie scorer, leaves with injury

LOS ANGELES -- San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl left the game Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings with an apparent lower-body injury. He did not return to the game, which the Kings won 4-1.

Hertl took a knee-on-knee hit from Dustin Brown with 61 seconds left in the first period and immediately went to the dressing room. Brown was given a five-minute kneeing penalty and a game misconduct.

"Nothing," coach Todd McLellan said when asked if he had any update on Hertl. "I haven’t gone in there to see the trainers yet or talk to the doctors yet. Obviously he didn’t return, so it’s not a good thing."

Hertl leads all rookies with 15 goals and 25 points in 34 games. He was named NHL Rookie of the Month for October, when he became the first NHL player to score seven goals in his first five games since Blair McDonald of the Edmonton Oilers in 1979-80.