Morgan Barron, a centre for the Winnipeg Jets, experienced a serious scare on Tuesday night while playing in his first NHL playoff game.
In the opening frame of Game 1 of the first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Barron was struck in the face by a skate during a scrum in the goalmouth.
Barron was being shoved to the ice by Chandler Stephenson of the Golden Knights as Vegas goaltender Laurent Brossoit was diving back to freeze the puck after blocking Barron’s initial shot.
Barron stated, “I was trying to determine if the puck went in since it was really close. I noticed the skate approaching. The play was unlucky. The biggest thing I noticed at first was that I could see with my right eye.
According to the Sportsnet coverage of the game, Barron walked to the locker room and had more than 75 stitches.
Adam Lowry, the centre, remarked, “Looks like he was attacked by a shark.” It’s frightening. All of us are so concerned that the puck will cross the line when suddenly we notice a trail of blood leading from the crease to the bench.
In the second quarter, Barron returned to the game while donning a complete face protection and an eye bandage. In the Jets’ 5-1 victory over the Golden Knights, he skated for 10:44.
He was acquired by the Jets last season as part of the trade that brought forward Andrew Copp to New York from the New York Rangers in the sixth round of the 2017 draught.
Barron finished the season with eight goals and 21 points in 70 games.
