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NHL coach takes flying puck to face

The New York Islanders took Game 1 of their second-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 5-3 victory. They did so, however, without head coach Jack Capuano behind their bench for most of the final half of the third period.

Alex Killorn’s wrister into the Islanders’ zone deflected off of Ryan Strome’s shin pad and into the New York bench, striking Capuano in the face.

Assistant coach Doug Weight took over while Capuano got checked out by the team's trainers. But it wasn't long before Capuano returned to the Islanders bench sporting a small nick on the beak.

Capuano's return must have brought some good luck as Cal Clutterbuck put home the empty-net insurance goal a short while after getting back into the game.

“A little bit of a headache right now,” Capuano said afterward via Newsday. “I’ve been hit more times (behind the bench) than when I played. It caught the tip of my nose, fortunately it wasn’t anything more serious.”

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