Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron left Monday's game against the New York Rangers in the second period after being hit by a shot.
Bergeron was struck on his right hand by a blast from teammate Dennis Wideman. He headed straight to the Bruins bench and was seen talking to the team trainers. He took two more shifts before heading to the dressing room for further examinations and x-rays and he did not return.
''Patrice won't travel to Ottawa with the team,'' according to the team. ''He is returning to Boston to be evaluated by our medical staff.''
The 24-year old Bergeron is enjoying a great bounce back season with the Bruins and is leading the team in scoring with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 40 games. He was also recently named to the Canadian Olympic team.
Speaking about the incident post game, head coach Claude Julien discussed how big a loss Bergeron was.
"Let's put it this way, if he's not back, we've lost our best player since the beginning of the year," said the head coach of Bergeron. "That sums it up, right there."
