Michael DiPietro took a stick up high from William Eklund while sitting on the Bruins bench tonight, and the backup goalie had to head down the tunnel for repairs.
It happened with only five seconds left in the period. DiPietro didn't even have to be on the ice to need a trip to the medical room.
Getting clipped on the bench is about as strange as it gets. Goalies brace for pucks, not sticks coming over the boards.
Plays near the bench happen fast.
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It was already an odd night in that building. Ottawa's Linus Ullmark didn't come out for the start of the third period, with no reason given.
DiPietro, 27, carries an $812,500 cap hit and lost his only start this season with an .897 save percentage.
Marco Sturm's Bruins need DiPietro healthy behind Jeremy Swayman
Jeremy Swayman is the starter on an $8,250,000 cap hit. A healthy backup still matters over a long season, especially with back-to-backs on the schedule.
Eklund, 23, now plays for Ottawa and carries a $5,600,000 cap hit. He has yet to record a point this season.
The bench needs better protection. Players sitting a few feet from live play shouldn't be taking sticks up high, and the league should look at how exposed those areas really are.
It's like getting hit by a foul ball while sitting in the dugout. Nobody expects it, and nobody is ready for it.
The Bruins host Utah on Thursday. Ottawa visits Detroit tomorrow on the second half of a back-to-back.
DiPietro will likely be fine. Still, this one is a reminder that in hockey, nobody is completely safe, not even the goalie sitting on the bench.
Should the NHL add more protection around the team benches?
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