Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby left Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after taking a stick to the face.
The stick of Cam Atkinson slid through the goalie mask as Holtby raised it to prepare to deflect a potential shot, and the stick appeared to make contact with Holtby near his eyes.
Holtby was treated on the bench before heading to the locker room. The Capitals announced during the second intermission that he would not return to the game. Pheonix Copley replaced Holtby in net.
Atkinson, who scored earlier in the game, received a two-minute penalty for high sticking.
This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.