Winnipeg Jets center Morgan Barron had a big scare while he was making his NHL playoff debut on Tuesday night.
Barron took a skate to the face during a goalmouth scramble in the first period of Game 1 of the first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Vegas goaltender Laurent Brossoit was diving back to freeze the puck after stopping Barron’s initial shot, and his skate came up while Barron was being pushed to the ice by the Golden Knights’ Chandler Stephenson.
Barron went to the dressing room and received more than 75 stitches, according to the Sportsnet broadcast of the game.
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But Barron returned to play in the second period, wearing a full face shield and with a bandage above his eye. He skated 10:44 in the Jets’ 5-1 win over the Golden Knights.
He was drafted by the New York Rangers in the sixth round in 2017 and joined the Jets last season as part of the trade that sent forward Andrew Copp to New York.
Barron had eight goals and 21 points in 70 games this season.
