Scary scene as Nils Lundkvist takes Michael McCarron’s skate to the face
Scary moment in Dallas Friday night. Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist took Michael McCarron down along the boards and the play turned ugly fast.
As the Wild forward fell, his skate came up and caught Lundkvist square in the face. The Swedish blue-liner left a trail of blood and headed straight to the locker room.
These are the moments that make every coach in the league rethink neck protection.
The skate came up at exactly the wrong angle. A few inches different and this is a much different conversation.
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Lundkvist's status is unknown. Nobody had updates by the time he disappeared down the tunnel, and Stars staff are not the type to share much during a playoff game.
The 25-year-old has been a steady piece for Glen Gulutzan this series. He posted 2 assists across the first two playoff games and a plus-12 rating during the regular season.
Glen Gulutzan loses a depth piece at the worst possible time
McCarron was not trying to hurt anyone. The 31-year-old Wild forward was just being taken down hard, and skates do what skates do when a body falls awkwardly into the boards.
That doesn't make it any easier to watch. The image of a player heading off bleeding is the kind of thing every dressing room hates seeing, regardless of jersey color.
Lundkvist plays a real role on this Dallas back end. He skates over 18 minutes a night, kills penalties, and quietly drives possession.
Replacing him in a series with this much physicality is not simple.
Is the league finally going to push neck guard mandates harder after another close call?
That conversation has been on hold for a while. Incidents like this one keep dragging it back to center ice.
McCarron's role on John Hynes' bench is the heavy-minutes type. The 31-year-old veteran finished with 17 points and a minus-16 rating.
He's not a finesse player. Plays where he's getting taken down hard happen often in his world.
The injury report will land soon. Until then, the entire Stars dressing room is watching and waiting on a teammate.
This kind of moment cuts through a series. Both teams will skate out of it remembering exactly how close it came to being so much worse.
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APRIL 25, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Sebastian Aho | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Drake Batherson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brock Faber | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Taylor Hall | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Seth Jarvis | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Kirill Kaprizov | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mikko Rantanen | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Carter Yakemchuk | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Denver Barkey | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matthew Boldy | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Cozens | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sidney Crosby | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rickard Rakell | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Robertson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Logan Stankoven | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||