Jack Capuano said he's fine after being struck in the face by the puck Wednesday night.
"I'm good," the New York Islanders head coach said postgame, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "A little bit of a headache, but other than that, it's a good victory for our team."
Capuano was forced to leave the bench before returning late in the third period of the Islanders' 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their second-round series.
Jack Capuano back on the bench pic.twitter.com/iYqCVe875A
— Marina Molnar (@mkmolnar) April 28, 2016
"It's scary, honestly," Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic said. "I'm glad it didn't take his eye out. I think everybody just immediately was, 'Is he OK?'"
Assistant coach Doug Weight took the reins in Capuano's absence - which occurred with the Islanders leading the 4-3 in the final frame - and the head coach said he left the game as a precaution.
"You want to get back out there," Capuano said. "It's unfortunate I got hit there. I had a headache for a little bit. Just wanted to make sure everything was alright.
"I've been hit more times I think than when I played. Just fortunately, it caught me at the tip of the nose there and nothing real serious. But again, you're in there. You hear the horn go off. It's a one-goal game. I just … When I went back out there, the guys battled."
Hamonic was happy to see Capuano shake it off.
"He's battling," the defenseman said. "Nice to see him come back and healthy."
