Marc-Edouard Vlasic takes shot to the face (Video)

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Ray Tufts guides Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks off the ice after Vlasic was hit by a puck in the third period during a NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers while Joel Ward of the San Jose Sharks looks at SAP Center at San Jose on December 30, 2016 in San Jose, California. (Getty Images) San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic took a shot in the face in the final minute of his team’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers and needed to be helped off the ice.
The shot was from Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and deflected off the stick of Sharks forward Joel Ward. Immediately after Vlasic was hit, he fell to the ice and members of both teams signaled to the Sharks’ bench for medical attention.

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After Vlasic left the area, there was a visible a pool of blood on the ice around where he was hit.

Sharks coach Peter DeBoer believed Vlasic would be OK, but didn’t have any definitive news on the defenseman’s condition.
“I don’t know yet for sure. It looks – as bad as it looked and as bad as it probably is, I’ve got my fingers crossed,” DeBoer said according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area. “The initial reports are that I don’t believe it’s that serious so that’s good.”
DeBoer added that he doubted Vlasic would be able to travel with the team for their Saturday game at the Los Angeles Kings.

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Vlasic is one of the top defensive players in the NHL and was a key member of San Jose’s run to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Last September he teamed up with Shea Weber on Canada’s shutdown pair in the World Cup of Hockey. Vlasic’s 21:06 of ice-time per-game ranks second on the Sharks behind Brent Burns.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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