The St. Louis Blues suddenly had their bench shortened during Friday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and center Paul Stastny both left the game and would not return after sustaining upper body injuries -- on separate players -- in the first period, the Blues reported via Twitter.
Replays show Bouwmeester took a hard hit from Ryan Getzlaf, while Stastny had a puck deflect and hit him up high, around the side of his face.
Not only did those two players leave the game, but with a 2-1 lead in the second period, goalie Jake Allen left the ice, giving way to Brian Elliott.
Scary collision in the crease. Corey Perry crashes into Jake Allen hard. Allen gets up slow but appears to be staying in the game. #stlblues
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 9, 2016