Antti Miettinen didn't mean it but nonetheless his careless use of the stick in the final seconds of Minnesota's game against Edmonton has cost Ethan Moreau a lot.

The blade of the Wild forward's stick went right up into the Oiler captain's eye at the tail end of Saturday's night game. After being down for a couple minutes he rose to be seen with blood all around his right eye.

He immediately went to hospital that night. He rested at home on Sunday and was not at practice on Monday as the Oilers skated before heading out on a four-game road trip.

"I spoke to him and he's not doing too bad considering the circumstances," head coach Craig MacTavish said. "Ethan described the pain in his eye as a little like water torture. He can just feel something in his eye."

The coach didn't elaborate on how Moreau's vision is at this point only to say that there is nothing suggesting the mishap will cost Moreau any loss of sight out of his eye.

Sheldon Souray went to the hospital with Moreau after it happened.

"It was scary when you see all that blood," Souray said. "It's one of those injuries, around your eyes, that is always considered much more serious."

Longtime friend and teammate Steve Staios spoke to the captain on Sunday.

"He just has to take it easy, there isn't much he can do right now but bed rest and recover," Staios said. "This isn't the kind of injury you can take any chances with."

The words of concern regarding Moreau spread across the Oilers room.

"When you've been around someone for 10 years you worry about him," Shawn Horcoff said. "Of course we're going to miss him on the ice but you are more worried about the person."

The timetable on Moreau's return to the ice is unknown. He saw an eye specialist on Monday and will see the same doctor on Thursday for further examination.