Brenden Dillon did not see a shift in the third period of his 1,000th game.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters after the game that the New Jersey Devils defenceman was held out for the final frame for precautionary reasons after being injured during a fight earlier in the night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The injury occurred early in the second period during a scrap with Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov. Voronkov nailed a blow to Dillon's face early in the scrum before the Devil was able to situate himself, sending him down to the ice.
Dillon remained down, appearing to be in pain, before he was helped off the ice by teammates.
The 15-year NHL vet returned prior to the end of the second period and took a few shifts, but ultimately remained in the room to end the game. He finished the contest having played 10:32.
Before the game, Dillon was emotional talking about appearing in his 1,000th game. The New Westminster, B.C., native broke into the NHL with the Dallas Stars and has also played for the San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets.
"I just wanted to get one," Dillon said after being shown a photo of himself as a child. "So thankful to play in the best league in the world."
Dillon, in the second season of a three-year, $12 million contract, has three goals and nine points in 26 games.
The Devils next play Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars.
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