sny
The New York Islanders have avoided a major setback, as captain Bo Horvat participated in Saturday's morning skate and declared himself fit to face the Tampa Bay Lightning that evening. Horvat's return comes after he absorbed a disturbing open-ice hit from Chicago Blackhawks winger Frank Nazar late in Thursday night's victory.
Following the hit, Horvat underwent evaluation by team doctors and the Islanders' training staff on their off day. The captain, who took Nazar's shoulder directly to the head after scoring an empty-net goal, described the moment as unsettling. "Hits like those you never know, right," Horvat remarked. "Anytime the principal point of contact is my head it's always scary, but I feel fine -- the right side of my head hurts a little bit, but other than that I feel pretty good."
The impact sent Horvat twisting in the air before he landed hard on his side. Nazar was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit, and the NHL Department of Player Safety subsequently handed him a two-game suspension. Despite the severity of the collision, Horvat did not perceive any malicious intent from Nazar. "It was just a chain of unfortunate events," he explained. "I definitely didn't see him, but I don't think he's the type of player to go looking for that -- it just ended up working out that way."
Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer expressed immense relief that his leader will not miss any game action. "It's a huge relief," DeBoer said. "Felt it was a dangerous hit, but obviously the league dealt with it -- on our end, I'm just thankful that he's available because sometimes headshots like that you can lose a guy for a while."
Horvat has been a key contributor for New York this season, tallying four goals and one assist through the team's first four games. His presence in the lineup is crucial as the Islanders aim to build on their early success.
Originally reported by sny.