Jordan Staal leaves game after taking a skate to the face.

Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal was treated to the scare of a lifetime on Sunday night when he was struck in the face by the skate of Washington Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary.

The incident would occur roughly midway through the second period, when both Staal and Fehervary were engaged in a puck battle along the boards. It was Fehervary who would reach the puck first and it would be Staal that would initiate the contact between the two men by pressing Fehervary hard into the boards.

The contact from Staal would knock Fehervary off balance which in turn caused his right foot to kick up behind him. In what was clearly not an intentional act, Fehervary's skate would come up and strike Staal in the head, even appearing to catch him in the face from the reverse camera angle.

Staal would immediately head to the locker room following the incident, leaving onlookers quite concerned.

Thankfully it does appear that Staal has avoided the worst of it, with the captain returning in the third period after missing most of the second.