Edmonton Oilers defenceman Nikita Nikitin left the team's Thursday night game against the Vancouver Canucks with a lower-body injury and did not return.

The 28-year-old Russian blueliner went down awkwardly after getting tangled up with Canucks' centre Cal O'Reilly.

O'Reilly was assessed a holding penalty on the play, while Nikitin went to the Oilers' dressing room with an ankle injury.

A team tweet confirmed the injury later in the game.

The Oilers acquired Nikitin from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft and signed the pending unrestricted free agent to a two-year, $9 million deal prior to the opening of free agency on July 1.

Nikitin wore a walking boot after the game for precautionary reasons.

According to head coach Dallas Eakins, Nikitin twisted his ankle and will miss 1-2 weeks.