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Coyotes’ Lombardi (upper body) could be out for a “significant amount of time”

Matthew Lombardi, Robert Lang, Ian Laperriere

Phoenix Coyotes’ Matthew Lombardi, front, skates to celebrating teammates including Coyotes’ Robert Lang, right, of the Czech Republic, after Lombardi’s goal as Philadelphia Flyers’ Ian Laperriere, back, looks on in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

AP

The Phoenix Coyotes lost the services of Matthew Lombardi during Thursday night’s 5-3 loss in San Jose.

On Friday, GM Don Maloney suggested Lombardi might be lost for more than just one game.

“Matthew got injured last night and may be out for a significant amount of time,” Maloney explained on SiriusXM NHL radio.

Maloney went on to explain the club is hesitant to divulge information on injuries -- “we don’t get too specific,” he said, when talking about goalie Mike Smith -- and it remains unclear exactly what happened to Lombardi.

His last shift against the Sharks came early in the second period and lasted just 14 seconds before he left for good.

The immediate concern will be that Lombardi suffered some type of head injury, given his lengthy concussion history.

After posting a career-best 19G-34A-53PTS with the ‘Yotes in 2009-10, Lombardi signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal with the Predators but suffered a concussion during the preseason and only ended up playing two games in Nashville.

He was dealt to Toronto in July 2011 but ran into healthy problems yet again, missing 18 games with an arm injury.

Update: In what’s likely a related move, the Coyotes have recalled Nick Johnson from AHL Portland.