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There was a “scary situation” on Saturday’s game between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning when Caps’ defenseman Nick Jensen was lying unconscious on the ice following a shove into the boards from Tampa’s forward Michael Eyssimont.
The hit happened late in the first period with just 1:31 minutes left to play on Saturday, April 13. No penalty was assessed on Eyssimont.
Once Jensen was stretchered off the ice after getting attended by emergency medical personnel the officials of the match postponed the remaining time to be played after a rushed intermission.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery confirmed in his postgame press conference that Jensen was able to leave the arena walking, with his family, and that the defenseman did not require hospitalization.
“Scary situation,” Carbery told reporters after the 4-2 win on April 13. “Initially when you see something like that, someone stretchered off, you’re thinking the worst-case situations.
“He’s doing better.”
Lightning’s forward Eyssimont, who sent Jensen crashing headfirst into the boards with a hit from the side, leads his team with 99 penalty minutes this season. Saturday’s shove resulted in Jensen lying motionless on the ice until medical staff removed him from the ice as all the players gathered around him.
Despite the violent hit and collision with the boards, referee Frederick L’Ecuyerno didn’t call a penalty on the play letting it go without further assessment of the action.
The Capitals never trailed throughout the game although they had to battle Tampa Bay after the Lightning tied the contest 1-1 and later 2-2 before allowing Washington to score the final two goals in the Caps’ 4-2 victory at Capital One Arena.
Capitals and Lightning Speak Highly of Nick Jensen
Nic Dowd, a college teammate and long-time friend of Jensen, spoke about the situation after the game.
“You’re immediately upset, but then when I see Jens laying on the ice like that, it’s tough to see,” a visibly affected Dowd told reporters after the game.
“He’s been a friend of mine for a long time, our kids grow up together, born around the same time, know his family really well,” Dowd added. “Seeing anybody in a vulnerable state like that is challenging.
“But he’s a tough guy, so, I’m glad to know that he’s doing better now.”
Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who previously won a USHL championship with Jensen, supported Jensen and showed his concern as well after the game.
“[Jensen] is awesome,” Cooper told reporters in his postgame press conference. “Those are tough ones to see, especially because of the result of the hit, and it wasn’t penalized, nor should it have been. It was just a tough one all the way around.
“I’m hoping he’s OK. I heard he’s doing OK.”
Capitals Stay Strong, Keep Postseason Hopes Alive
With Jensen out for two full periods, Washington was left with only five defensemen available to play against the Lightning for more than 40 minutes.
Starting Caps’ goalie Charlie Lindgren praised his teammates’ effort for pulling off the one even though they had one fewer player available.
“That was a really good effort tonight,” Lindgren told reporters in his postgame press conference. “Getting a couple of goals early, they answered back and, you know, after seeing what happened with Jensen there… very, very difficult to see.
“That’s hard and it’s the right way and I thought we did that. Credit to the guys in here because it’s not easy seeing a brother go down like that.”
Jensen left the game leading all skaters in ice time with 7:00 of minutes played through the first period. This season, Jensen has scored 1 goal and logged 13 assists across 77 games. He is expected to miss a few games, which means he could be out for the remainder of the year unless the Capitals can make a deep postseason run.
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