It happened just over three minutes into the second period with the Isles holding a 1-0 lead. The Isles had the puck in the Hurricanes zone, and Pierre Engvall shot the puck up high from about 40 feet away, hitting Aho square in the face. The puck bounced up in the air, and Isles center Brock Nelson knocked the puck out of the air and into the net from just a few feet away.
Engvall and Kyle Palmieri were credited with assists on the goal. Meanwhile, Aho went down to the ice and came up dripping with blood, as he appeared to have an open cut on his cheek. He skated off the ice and headed directly to the locker room, but returned to the ice after a few minutes.
NHL players are some of the toughest athletes in professional sports, and Aho is just the latest example. They can take a puck to the face and keep on going.
With under 10 minutes in the third period, Aho scored a goal for the Hurricanes to reduce the Islanders lead to 3-2. Talk about toughness. However, the Isles were able to hold on for the victory and stay alive in the series.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
