Ottawa Senators forward Vladislav Namestnikov left Wednesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens with a lower-body injury after a body check from Cale Fleury sent him crashing into the boards.
The hit caught Namestnikov, 26, off-balance as he and Fleury vied for control of the puck entering the Senators' attacking zone during the first period. The Russian forward slammed awkwardly into the lowest portion of the boards and laid on the ice for several minutes before skating off with the help of the Senators' trainer and teammate Mark Borowiecki.
Fleury with a big hit on Namestnikov, Namestnikov leaves game.missing audio soz guys pic.twitter.com/AIgHmBUBE7
— GoatWorldSports (@GoatWorldSport1) November 21, 2019
The play was blown dead quickly after the hit even though the Canadiens obtained possession of the puck and started an odd-man rush up the ice, which could have been part of the league's reaction to Matt Calvert's injury on Nov. 16. In that case, on-ice officials did not blow the play dead even as Calvert laid in distress on the ice because the Colorado Avalanche's opponents controlled the puck.
The league's director of officiating, Stephen Walkom, told reporters Tuesday that on-ice officials may stop play at any point if it is obvious there is a serious injury.
The Senators acquired Namestnikov from the Rangers this season in an October trade. The 2011 first-round pick (by way of Tampa Bay) has 12 points in 16 games so far in Ottawa.