Brandon Carlo's Status Uncertain After Taking Elbow To Face In Bruins Win Over Panthers
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Bruins won their fourth straight game Thursday night thanks to Torey Krug's overtime goal against the Florida Panthers. But the victory came at a cost, as blue liner Brandon Carlo left in the second period after taking an elbow to the face.
Carlo was chasing down Evgenii Dadonov midway through the second period when the injury occurred. As the Panthers forward reached the puck in the corner, he let his elbow fly back, hitting Carlo in the face. Carlo hit the ice and stayed down, needing assistance to make his way to the Bruins dressing room. He looked dazed as he made his way off the ice, and did not return.
Dadonov was initially hit with a five-minute major, but after a review of the play, officials downgraded it to a two-minute elbowing penalty.
Evgenii Dadonov elbows Brandon Carlo in the face. Carlo heads down the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/4TswihEyDf
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 6, 2020
After the game, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said Carlo was day-to-day with an upper-body injury, though they'd know more about his status going forward on Friday. Cassidy didn't seem very happy about officials changing their initial call.
"It's still an elbow to the head and a pretty good one," said Cassidy. "The player didn't return and he's bloodied. I don't know if intent necessarily matters in these things sometimes. It's just, what's the end result? Like a high stick, guys get four minutes all the time. What can you do?
"You're supposed to be in control of those situations, especially around the head," he added. "I would have liked to have seen the five but at the end of the day we got the two (points) and that's the way it goes."
The injury likely means Boston will be without Carlo when they host Tampa Bay on Saturday. For the season, the 23-year-old has four goals and 15 assists, with his plus-16 rating ranking third among Boston defenseman.
At least the Bruins got the last laugh Thursday, with Krug beating Chris Driedger four minutes into the extra frame to lift Boston to a 2-1 win. The victory gives the Bruins an NHL-best 98 points for the season, and inches them closer to the Atlantic Division crown.