Lundqvist won't change masks after 'very scary' incident
Henrik Lundqvist isn't going to change his equipment to avoid another injury scare.
The New York Rangers goaltender says the inadvertent high stick from teammate Marc Staal that came through the goaltender's mask and forced him from Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins was a freak accident.
“I haven’t seen many incidents like this over the years,” Lundqvist told Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. “Accidents happen, injuries happen. I feel still as a goalie you’re pretty well protected. I don’t see it as an issue.”
The Rangers goalie feared the worst after taking Staal's stick to the eye Wednesday night.
“For probably 20 or 30 seconds there, I had some really bad thoughts going through my head,” he said. “It was very scary, actually.”
Lundqvist uses a "cat eye" mask, which has larger eye openings to allow goalies greater vision. The mask is banned by Hockey Canada, but many NHL netminders use it and aren't subject to a ban.
Specialists confirmed there was no damage to his eye, and while his vision was blurry in the aftermath, it has improved since the incident.
He practiced Friday, and will be a game-time decision Saturday for Game 2 of the first-round playoff series.