The thumbs-up given by Craig Anderson may have been the only positive to come out of a frightening incident on Sunday.

The Ottawa Senators goaltender was being carried off the ice on a stretcher, minutes after he was struck in the back of his head by the knee of Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin on an overtime rush. 

The tense moment occurred when Anderson tried to break up a scoring chance by Nichushkin, who was attempting to deke around the goalie's outstretched body as he reached out to play the puck.

Nichushkin's knee made contact with Anderson's head as he couldn't maintain his balance on the play.

According to Ottawa's official Twitter feed, Anderson has a stiff neck and will be re-evaluated Monday and will likely sit out Tuesday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anderson was limited to just seven games last season due to injuries.

Watch the incident above.