San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Tennyson was forced to leave the game against the St. Louis Blues on Monday after taking a punishing hit from winger Ryan Reaves.
Tennyson was going after a puck behind the San Jose net, and he was hit from behind directly into the boards by St. Louis forward Ryan Reaves. Tennyson hit his head on the boards, and also hit his head on the ice after falling backwards from the hit. According to ESPN, Tennyson was able to get on his feet after laying on the ice momentarily, and he was helped off the ice by the Sharks training staff and teammates.
Reaves was given a five-minute boarding penalty and a game misconduct call, which led to his ejection from the game. Tennyson was considered to be a defenseless player by the officials on the play, which is why the game misconduct call was made. The Sharks scored twice on the ensuring power-play, and ended up winning the game 6-3 over the Blues.
Following the hit, Kevin Kurz at CSN Bay Area reported on Twitter that Tennyson was "questionable to return." Tennyson did not end up coming back into the game for the Sharks on Monday. Kurz later wrote in his game story that the hit ended up as a "key moment" for the Sharks, as they took a 3-0 lead on the power-play and ended up winning the game. Tennyson is expected to travel with the team to Denver, but may not play against the Avalanche on Thursday.
"I think Matt's OK. He's not great, obviously. Those are the kind of hits we're trying to get rid of, so I'm sure the league will deal with it," coach Peter DeBoer said after the game. DeBoer added that Tennyson is "probably concussed," and that the team will monitor the defenseman moving forward.
