ST. PAUL, Minn. — Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon left the ice with blood pouring from his nose Monday night after a puck fired by his own teammate Devon Toews struck him directly in the face during the closing minutes of the second period in Game 4 of their NHL playoff matchup with the Minnesota Wild.
Toews had attempted to clear the puck from near the goal line toward the corner boards, but the wayward shot found MacKinnon’s face instead. The regular season’s top goal scorer dropped to his knees in agony before team medical staff rushed over with a towel to stem the bleeding and escort him from the rink.
The injury left blood splattered across the ice and covering the inside of MacKinnon’s face shield as he headed to the locker room just before the second period ended. Despite the gruesome scene, MacKinnon emerged for the final period and even managed to find the back of the net on an empty goal during Colorado’s 5-2 victory.
“If he was going to be able to get out there, he was going to be out there,” coach Jared Bednar said. “I just felt for him because I just went through that. It doesn’t feel very good.”
Bednar spoke from experience, having required hospitalization last month for facial fractures and damage to his cornea after a puck flew into the coaching area and caught him in the right cheek during a game, forcing him to miss two road contests.
MacKinnon has compiled 12 points on six goals and six assists through eight postseason contests this year for Colorado, which now holds a commanding 3-1 series advantage over Minnesota heading into Wednesday’s Game 5.
