Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green said Wednesday that forward Nick Cousins will be out seven-to-10 days following the hit he took from Washington Capitals defenceman Jakob Chychrun Tuesday.
Green said Cousins was briefly knocked unconscious by the hit, but is doing “as well as can be expected.”
Cousins left Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals in the third period after the hit and did not return.
The hit occurred when the 33-year-old collected the puck along the side boards in the defensive zone, and was met with a hard shoulder check from Chychrun, who pinched down from the blue line to make the hit.
The veteran forward remained down on the ice while teammates and training staff went to check on him, and was later helped off back down the tunnel to the dressing room.
Green said Tuesday that Cousins was not taken to a hospital, but was “not doing great” in the aftermath.
Chychrun was initially handed a major penalty, but the call was rescinded by the officials after reviewing the play.
Cousins logged 12:12 minutes of ice time across 19 shifts, finishing the game with a minus-two rating.
After the game, Green expressed his displeasure with the hit and the called-back major penalty.
“I’m a little surprised,” he said. “You don’t usually see it where it goes from a major to no penalty, but I thought it was a headshot to a player that wasn’t ready for it. They must have saw it differently.”
“I think everybody hates these scenes in hockey and any sport,” said Senators captain Thomas Chabot. “Obviously, you’re aware it’s part of the game, but it’s a lot more than the game of hockey, and it sucks seeing him like that.”
The Belleville, Ont. native has registered two goals and an assist while appearing in 19 games for Ottawa this season.
Cousins and Chychrun were teammates with the Arizona Coyotes for two seasons from 2017-19. According to the NHL Follow Tracker on X, Cousins unfollowed Chychrun on Instagram shortly after Tuesday’s game.
The Senators (11-6-2) will return to the ice Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche.