Jets’ Poolman returns with cage after taking puck to head

A scary moment as Tucker Poolman sacrifices his body for the Winnipeg Jets, blocking the wrist shot from Mikael Backlund with his face and immediately leaving the ice for repairs.

Winnipeg Jets defenceman Tucker Poolman was forced to leave Tuesday’s game against the Calgary Flames after taking a puck to the face.

The incident occurred early in the second period when Poolman slid on his stomach to block a shot from Mikael Backlund. The puck hit Poolman in the head and there was a large pool of blood, but he was able to skate off the ice on his own power.

However, Poolman returned to the game at the start of the third period with a full cage on his helmet.

The Jets have had a string of injuries so far in their series with the Flames. In Game 1, both Mark Schiefele (leg) and Patrik Laine (arm) were injured and neither have played in the series since. Then on Tuesday, centre Mathieu Perreault left the game after being hit in the second period. The team announced that he will not be returning to Game 3.

Poolman had 16 points and 59 blocked shots in 57 games this season.

[relatedlinks]

Sportsnet.ca no longer supports comments.