Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Johnston says that “all signs are real positive” after winger Pascal Dupuis took a puck to the back of the neck Thursday night.
Midway through the second period of the Dallas Stars’ dramatic 3-2 win, Stars defenceman Alex Goligoski—who began his NHL career with the Pens during the 2007-08 season—crosschecked Dupuis down to the ice in front of the Stars’ net as Kris Letang was winding up for a slap shot from the slot.
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Dupuis ducked his head as the puck hit him. He was attended to by team medical staff and taken off on a stretcher for precautionary reasons.
“You never want to see that happen,” Stars head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters after the game. “There was a lot of concern on both benches. We’ve been around some tough situations and that one scared us as much as it scared the Penguins.”
The 35-year-old Laval, Que., native gave a thumbs up gesture as he was being wheeled off. Dupuis missed the final 43 games of the 2013-14 season after tearing his right ACL in a game last December. He has four points so far this season.
Goligoski was not penalized on the play.
Dupuis was taken to a local Pittsburgh hospital and, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, he was awake and undergoing tests.
“He had some numbness in his arm and it was coming back, so that’s a real positive sign, but I haven’t heard anything more,” Penguins head coach Mike Johnston said after the game.