DENVER (AP) – Winnipeg forward Vladislav Namestnikov was taken to the hospital for evaluation after being hit by a puck on the left side of his face in Sunday's Game 4 against Colorado.
Jets coach Rick Bowness has not released any updates on Namestnikov. After losing 5-1 Colorado leads 3-1 in the first round of the series.
Namestnikov I was trying to jump out of the way. A shot midway through the third period when the puck hit a stick and was hit by teammate Nate Schmidt. Namestnikov remained motionless on the ice as trainers rushed out. He slipped out with help and made his way off the Avalanche bench. Namestnikov, 31, had a towel pressed against his face.
“It's scary,” Winnipeg teammate Mark Scheifele said. “You don't want to see that much blood no matter what or who it is, especially a player on our team. That's the worst. All you can do is hope he's OK. All you have to do is pray. It's scary. You just have to pray for him.”
Nashville captain Roman Josi and Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers each took pucks to the face during the first period of Game 4 of Sunday's first-round series. Both players returned early in the second period.
Joshi, the 2020 Norris Trophy winner, suffered a puck to the face near his right ear. He returned to the ice for the seventh shift of the first period. It lasted eight seconds before the referee sent him to the bench, with Josi slipping for only the first 4 minutes and 53 seconds before going into the tunnel for treatment.
Then, Nashville center Tommy Novak's shot from the right circle hit Myers near the nose with 1:35 left in the period. When Myers fell to the ice, a trainer rushed out, put a towel over his face, and joined him on the bench.
This is the second scary situation involving the Jets in the series.
In Friday's game, Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon I got a laceration on my hand. That required stitches. Dillon appeared to have been cut by a skate blade during a scrum after the final horn. He skated to the locker room, holding his bleeding hand.
dillon Sundays are excluded.
“The doctors are a little hesitant to put him back together so quickly because there are so many stitches in place,” Dr. Bowness said. “If you ask him, he'll play. He just taped his whole hand and played. He has that much desire.”
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
