(UPDATE: Boychuk needed 90 stitches after skate to face.)
It was not a scene for the faint of heart.
Johnny Boychuk covered his face and bolted for the locker room after a skate caught him up high. The Islanders defenseman was escorting Artturi Lehkonen away from the net when the Canadiens forward fell, and clipped Boychuk with his skate.
After the game, Islanders head coach Barry Trotz said Boychuk was being evaluated.
“It’s a scary situation,” captain Anders Lee said after the 6-2 loss. “You hate to see that happen.”
“It’s not good,” said Cal Clutterbuck. “Not easy to see. Not good at all.”
This is the third time this season the Islanders have lost a player due to a skate blade. Clutterbuck suffered a gash on his wrist against the Bruins on December 19th and returned to the lineup this past Saturday. Casey Cizikas was cut on his leg with a skate against the Flyers in February.
Thank you to everyone for the positive messages and thoughts! I am extremely grateful. Please know they did not go unheard. Luckily for me the skate only cut my eyelid. Sorry for the late response...facial recognition wasn’t working... thank you again my friends. Johnny B
— Johnny Boychuk 🇺🇦 (@joboych) March 4, 2020
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Scott Charles is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottMCharles.