In one of the more exciting games of the playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks flattened the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1.
This game had everything. Disciplined play, one team clearly having fun on the ice, fast skating, solid checking, and incredible goaltending, and, unfortunately, a wicked-bad injury to Canucks defensive star Sami Salo.
Injuries are a part of any professional sport, and in hockey they can be particularly bad. Among other things in play are sharp skates, a frozen surface, fiberglass sticks, and a puck that frequently exceeds 100 miles per hour off a solid slap shot. It's the last item that has Sami Salo down, and probably out, for at least the remainder of this series.
Salo caught a Duncan Keith slap shot right in the groin, which felled him instantly. He remained on the ice for several minutes before being carted off on a stretcher. He was taken to a local Chicago-area hospital where he was kept overnight.
Salo's injury happened in the 1st period in which the Canucks scored two goals. They rallied around the injury and dumped in two more, including an empty netter at 19:15 of the 3rd period. The win keeps the Canucks alive but down three games to two, but Game 6 will be back in Vancouver where they could conceivably send the series to a Game 7 on Tuesday night. Catch the game on Versus in select satellite TV packages at 9:30pm Eastern.
I'll catch up on Salo's injury on Wednesday, and recap this series at the same time. Get well, Sami Salo, your team needs you, and so do all of us puck fans!
Watch all the upcoming NHL games with select DIRECTV packages and read up about them on my hockey blog.
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