Ouch. Prust is definitely gone for the series now. But losing Stepan could hurt even more, especially with Brassard still out.
Brassard is fine and will play Sunday, so that has nothing to do with this. Prust will clearly be suspended now, but quite frankly he is no major loss so who really cares. We get by Montreal still IMO, we will win Sunday night I feel very strongly there (and I think no Stepan even locks that in further), but this dooms us in the SCF I believe. Hard to see us beating Chicago/LA without Stepan. Shame, but what can you do I guess.
I'll believe it when I see it. Surgery means stiches and such. Means jaw wired shut. VERY unlikely we see him. Alain Vigneault today that Derek Stepan broke his jaw on the hit from Brandon Prust. (Darren Dreger) Dreger said, “Vigneault says Stepan is injured. Says 4 officials missed the late hit by Prust. Suggests there should have been 5 min penalty.” Stepan was cleared to play last night and the diagnosis of a broken jaw was determined this morning. (Dreger) X-Rays taken last night were negative but more detailed pictures were taken today and revealed the fracture. (Katie Strang) Stepan is undergoing surgery on his jaw right now. (Rangers) There is no timeline for his return.
I said last night he should have gotten 5 minutes and was laughed at and told there was no injury. I guess we see how that worked out. We deal with it and move on. All we can do.
Maybe he's gone for Sunday bit I think he'll play with a face shield. The surgery must be a minor procedure. Nothing like Roenicks broken jaw
Anytime there is surgery it's something that has to be considered somewhat serious. I'd be surprised to see him again this series.
I agree Al and Chuck but he came back and played last night, got a big assists, and was throwing his weight around. It's nothing like when Hatcher destroyed Roenicks jaw. Im thinking he is out Sunday and Tuesday. But I think he'll play with a full face sheild.
I hear you struds, but playing last night may not matter. That was pre-surgery. Pre-jaw wired shut. Pre-diagnosis. That stuff could change everything.
if hes having his jaw wired shut, that wiil most likely be it for the season.will depend on location , extent of break etc. I say your looking at 4 to 6 weeks. I believe that's how long Sid was out when he broke his jaw against the Islanders a year or so ago.
If the x-rays were initially negative it means it wasnt a huge break which is good. If it's more a hairline type crack he could probably play within a week i'd think.
Vigneault said (via the NHL): “Yesterday there was an incident where Prust hit Stepan. You know, that incident, obviously, four referees missed the call. Stepan is injured. The same player that called the hit on Price accidental but on purpose. Late hit, everything that you want to get out of the game, that was his hit on Stepan. “ “And what saddens me about that hit is, if the call is made on the ice, we’re on a 5‑minute power play, and what happened to Dan Carcillo, and what Dan did is inexcusable, and he’s going to pay a big price for it, but if the call is made on the ice, he’s not put in that position. “ “So it’s unfortunate. Step right now at this time is probably getting operated on. He broke his jaw yesterday, so we’ll have an idea of the timeframe tomorrow. But those are stuff that happens during the game that you have to deal with, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.” “Well, at the time the doctors checked him out. I’m not sure if they did X‑rays or whatever. Everything was done after the game and this morning and found out this morning.” Stepan is undergoing surgery on his jaw right now. (Rangers)
AV is DEAD ON. He is awesome with this stuff. We'll see on Stepan, but I don't expect him back soon. And if he does come back in the SCF, that is a bonus IMO. And now Prust is gone for sure. Not if...the question is how many games.
If the leaque is really serious about eliminating this kind of head hit, the punishment should be about equal to the length of time the injured player will miss. If Stepan cannot come back this playoff, then Prust should be suspended the rest of the season . If the Habs season ends in 2 games, then additional time should be added to next season. This is the worst of all potential hits during the course of a hockey game, because your are lining a player up and then go in for the hit. You have time to react or not react in this case. These hits can end careers and should be dealt with harshly. A first time offender can be given a little leeway, but repeat offenders ( think Scott Stevens ) should not.
It all depends on what kind of surgery was done. Since it took further imaging to find the fracture would lead me to believe it was a mild one. That being a case the surgery might be for a plate and screws and not wiring the jaw shut such as with a more serious fracture or break. It's possible he could go on to play with it but Sunday might be pushing it.
I think it may be more about just getting past the initial pain and swelling to get him ok to be out there, but it could be more serious in timeframe.
We'll find out I guess. Maybe he could play with that plastic guard thing around his jaw. If it was a mild break, and the jaw doesn't need to be wired shut, that is the only hope. We'll see, but I don't count on seeing him again this season unless I hear differently.
