Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins avoided hospitalization after taking a brutal hit from Washington Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun on Tuesday night.
Senators coach Travis Green said after the game that Cousins was “not doing great.” Officials determined after replay that the hit was clean.
“I thought it was a head shot to a player who wasn’t ready for it,” Green said. “They must have saw it different.”
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The game was tied 2-2 in the third period when Cousins tried to advance the puck through the defensive zone. He had his head down and never saw Chychrun, who lowered his shoulder to deliver a bone-crunching hit.
The collision took Cousins off his feet before he careened onto the ice.
Cousins remained supine on the ice for a moment, reckoning with a blow that knocked one of his gloves off. Medical staff eventually helped Cousins off the ice. He appeared to be bleeding near his browline.
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