The hit that injured Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo in Game 3 was clean, but the Islander who threw it still feels bad about the result.
Midway through the third period, Cal Clutterbuck landed a hard hit on Carlo behind the Bruins' net that resulted in Carlo's head hitting the glass. Carlo stumbled and then fell to the ice with what certainly looked like a head injury. He did not return to the game.
Clutterbuck has been a physical player throughout his 14-year career, but he has always been considered a clean player and has never been suspended or fined for a hit (he was fined once for embellishment).
"Obviously you feel bad," Clutterbuck said Saturday. "You don't want to see anybody hurt. I'm not going out there trying to hurt people. That's not the goal. The goal is to be effective and try to create turnovers. And so, when that happens, obviously it's unfortunate. It gives you a bad feeling in your stomach, definitely.
"I don't like to see that at all, so I hope he's OK. I try and take pride in the fact that I go out there and play the game clean, and try and finish my checks the right way. And he just kind of caught the glass in a weird spot."
The news on Carlo the last couple days has been more encouraging than initially anticipated, as he has been around the team and is considered "day-to-day." He will not play in Saturday night's Game 4, though, with Jarred Tinordi entering the lineup in his place.
The early concern level was high given that Carlo has had multiple concussions during his career, including one in March that forced him to miss nearly a month. Washington's Tom Wilson was suspended seven games for that hit.
