Boston Bruins

Carlo (Upper-Body) Leaves Game In First, Does Not Return

Published

2 years ago

October 15, 2022

Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was forced to leave Saturday’s game against the Arizona Coyotes midway through the first period and did not return. He was ruled out with an upper-body injury just as the second period began with the Bruin up 2-0 on the Coyotes.

Arizona Coyotes center Liam O’Brien took a running start at Carlo who was playing the puck up ice along the boards and the impact snapped the Boston Bruins defenseman’s head back hard against the glass. Carlo’s head literally bounced back off the glass but to his credit he kept skating with the play.

Here is the hit that Brandon Carlo took from Liam O'Brien. Carlo will miss the remainder of the game. #NHLBruins

pic.twitter.com/FW1PQatHB4

— Short Handed Takes: Bruins 🅿️odcast 🎙 (@ShortHandedTks) October 16, 2022

Brandon Carlo, who had a solid game with six hits in the 5-2 season-opening win for the Boston Bruins over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night in Washington D.C., wound up skating for ten shifts and 6:40 minutes of game action in the first period before exiting.

Seeing Carlo suffer what is likely a head injury and potential concussion is troublesome given his concussion history. After appearing in all 82 games and finishing with six goals and ten assists in his rookie season, Carlo’s concussion woes began in the final game of that 2016-17 season when Alexander Ovechkin caught him with a high hit. His second concussion came a week before the NHL paused the 2019-20 season due to the pandemic. Former Florida Panthers and current Montreal Canadiens forward Evgenii Dadonov chicken-winged Carlo in the head. Carlo missed the rest of the regular season but was able to come back and play all 13 games in the bubble.

However, 2020-21 was by far his most difficult season when it came to injuries as an oblique injury out of the gate and then a concussion from the infamous Tom Wilson hit in February 2021 limited the Boston Bruins defenseman to just 27 games. Carlo then missed the final three games of the East Division Final against the New York Islanders after suffering yet another concussion in Game 3, compliments of a clean but devastating hit from Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck.