Martin Necas gave Jared Bednar and the Colorado Avalanche a serious scare Monday night after taking a puck directly to the face against Philadelphia.
The frightening incident unfolded during the first period against the Flyers, leaving the Avalanche forward down on the ice with blood visible around his face.
Necas appeared to be in considerable discomfort as he remained on the ice, clutching his face while players gathered nearby.
The puck appeared to catch him high after coming off the post, creating an alarming scene that immediately shifted attention away from the game itself.
The good news is that Necas eventually managed to get back to his feet and leave the ice. He looked alert, although the bleeding made the sequence particularly unsettling.
As of the latest update, Necas had left the game to receive attention, with no confirmation yet on whether he would return.
Necas' puck to face shows glimmers of Brock Faber's incident
The timing makes this incident especially concerning following what happened to Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber just weeks ago.
Faber suffered a fractured skull after taking a puck to the head during a preseason game against Dallas. He subsequently underwent surgery and was ruled out indefinitely.
The video shows Necas sprawled across the ice holding his face before slowly getting up and skating away bent forward.
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For Colorado, losing Necas would create another problem for an already depleted lineup. The Avalanche entered Monday's matchup with several forwards unavailable.
Necas has been playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen on Colorado's top line, making his status especially important for Bednar's offensive deployment.
There's also the immediate medical concern.
A player being able to skate away doesn't automatically rule out a significant facial injury, particularly after direct contact with a puck.
Thankfully, Necas appeared relatively steady while leaving the ice, offering an encouraging sign after such a disturbing sequence.
Still, the Avalanche will need to assess the injury before determining his availability.
For now, everyone around Colorado will be hoping the bleeding looked worse than the actual damage and that Necas avoided the kind of serious injury that recently sidelined Faber.
Should the NHL introduce stronger facial protection after the frightening injuries involving Martin Necas and Brock Faber?
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