Brandon Carlo Leaves Bruins' Game 3 Vs. Islanders With Apparent Head Injury

BOSTON (CBS) -- Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo missed significant time this season after sustaining a concussion on a dirty hit by Tom Wilson. It appears as though Carlo sustained another concussion during Thursday night's game on Long Island.

While reaching to move a puck along the end boards, Carlo took a hit on a legal check by Cal Clutterbuck behind the Boston net early in the third period. The impact of the hit and Carlo's positioning on the play led to his head smashing against the glass.

The 6-foot-5 Carlo tried to get to his feet but fell to the ice, looking dazed.

Play eventually was whistled dead, and the Bruins' training staff helped Carlo off the ice and to the locker room.

Carlo missed almost all of March after taking the hit from Wilson, which sent him to the hospital. He returned for two games before suffering an injury that the team said was unrelated to the concussion. He played four games at the end of the regular season before playing in all eight playoff games thus far.

Carlo entered Thursday night with the second-highest average ice time per game, at 23:07.

After the game -- which the Bruins won, 2-1 -- head coach Bruce Cassidy offered a somewhat encouraging update, noting that Carlo was talking to teammates after the game.

"He said he was feeling pretty good, but I don't know what that means relative to the hit he took," Cassidy said.

"I don't want to rule him out until we see him in the morning and we get a final word from our medical staff. It never looks good when you leave like that. But at the end of the day, he was here talking to his teammates. Maybe he'll be fine," added Cassidy.

Cassidy said that given the nature of the hit, the team will not get a better evaluation on Carlo until the morning.

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