Montreal, QC – Montreal Canadiens forward Lars Eller left Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal against Ottawa in the second period with a head injury.
Eller was reaching back for a pass by teammate Raphael Diaz just outside his own blue line when Senators defenseman Eric Gryba leveled him with a high and blind-side hit to the head.
Gryba was given a major for interference and a game misconduct at the 13:28 mark of the period. He faces a disciplinary hearing with the NHL via telephone on Friday.
Eller lay motionless on the ice with a pool of blood nearby until he was escorted from the ice on a stretcher.
According to a report from RDS of Canada, the 23-year-old suffered a broken nose and lost several teeth. The Gazette revealed following the contest that Eller has additional facial fractures, lost consciousness and will remain in a local hospital overnight for evaluation.
Although the Canadiens scored on the advantage to take a 2-1 lead, the Senators rallied for a 4-2 win.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.