The Buffalo Sabres were without their best defenceman and the Minnesota Wild’s captain was left bloody midway through the first period Thursday after Rasmus Ristolainen caught Mikko Koivu up high with an open-ice hit.
Ristolainen received an interference major and a game misconduct for the hit.
Koivu was able to return to the game and wound up registering a goal and two assists before the end of the second period.
The Wild ended up scoring once on the five-minute power play and won the game 6-2.
It’s unclear whether or not this play will garner the attention of the NHL’s department of player safety. Watch the hit at the top of the page and let us know what you think.
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