Matt Grzelcyk knocked out of the game by Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Big hit takes Matt Grzelcyk out of action.
The Boston Bruins can ill afford to lose another defenseman but it looks like that is exactly what has just happened.
On Saturday afternoon the Bruins faced off against the Winnipeg Jets and unfortunately for the Bruins things got ugly for them very early on in this contest. Just a little over 6 minutes into the game's opening frame the Bruins appeared to lose veteran defenseman Matt Grzelcyk after he was the victim of an awkward looking hit courtesy of Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Both men were chasing down a puck into the corner with Dubois trailing behind Grzelcyk, and in spite of the fact that Grzelcyk saw Dubois coming the whole way things got ugly. I don't believe for even a second that Dubois was looking to deliver a hit from behind on Grzelcyk, in fact Dubois appear to spin his body away from the Bruins defenseman in an effort to avoid the contact, but Grzelcyk himself turned into the angle of Dubious spin and the end result was him getting hit into the boards.
The impact of the blow did not appear to be particularly violent but Grzelcyk quickly went down to the ice following the contact and appeared to be rocked as a result of the contact. Thankfully it's not like he was seeing stars or anything because he quickly bounced back up to his feet and was able to get off of the ice under his own power.
In spite of the fact that Grzelcyk quickly got to his feet though it was also evident that he had suffered some discomfort as a result of the hit and he was hunched over the entire time he skated off of the ice. Grzelcyk didn't even bother to sit back on the Bruins bench and instead went straight to the Bruins locker room following the hit, and he did not return at any point during the game's first period.
I've seen some anger directed at the National Hockey League's officials over this hit but I think this is a very tough call for any official to make given the rather awkward circumstances of this hit.
Here's a look at the moment of impact:
Update: Looks like he's back on the bench and will be ok:
