Update: That disclaimer about unlikely comebacks ended up being important; Nick Bonino managed to return to Game 2 to start the second period. It still remains to be seen if he can fight through it during the long haul, however. Stay tuned.
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Injuries have been a serious issue for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they entered the Stanley Cup Final, and early on in Game 2, it looks like they might have lost valuable forward Nick Bonino.
Now, it’s old hat that players fight through injuries - not just “play hurt” - during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so there’s the chance that Bonino could return sometime during Game 2 against the Nashville Predators.
Still, it sure doesn’t look promising after he seemed to favor his ankle blocking a hard P.K. Subban shot during the Penguins’ attempt to kill a 5-on-3.
The above clip shows that painful-looking injury along with the cross-checking call on Chris Kunitz.
As busy and often strange as the first period was, Bonino’s injury could end up being the most important moment of that opening 20 minutes.