The Consol Energy Center went silent on Thursday as Pittsburgh Penguins winger James Neal needed help off the ice after taking an elbow from New York Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto.
Cameras caught shots of Neal, who was slow to get up and appeared groggy after that collision. The incident happened just moments ago, so it’s too early to tell how severe the situation might be.
It’s difficult to tell if Del Zotto delivered the blow intentionally. Judge for yourself in the video below:
Either way, if Neal is seriously hurt, the Penguins could face another staggering injury. Obviously, they’re without key pieces such as Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Paul Martin and had to make due with Evgeni Malkin on the mend for long stretches of time.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Rob Rossi points out that the Rangers have left the Penguins banged up quite a bit lately.#TribHKY >> Orpik, Kunitz, now Neal. #NYRangers bringing the bruises to #pens. Unintentional elbow by Del Zotto while shielding puck.
— Rob Rossi (@RobRossi_Trib) April 6, 2013There isn’t a ton of time left in this game, but it seems like things are getting a little ugly between the two division rivals (who might just meet in the first round, depending upon how things work out in April).