As if things weren't bad enough for the Bruins after dropping a 3-2 decision in Carolina on Wednesday to fall to 1-3-0 on the season, there was also the scary sight of defenseman Adam McQuaid tumbling awkwardly into the boards in the third period.
McQuaid didn't have much to celebrate on his 25th birthday as he lost his balance while the Bruins were killing a penalty midway through the third. He struck his head along the base of the boards and appeared dazed as he struggled to his feet and gamely tried to play on until the next whistle.
McQuaid was guided to the bench by Zdeno Chara and stayed on the bench briefly before the medical staff took him to the locker room.
He did not return to the game and coach Claude Julien did not have an update on his condition when he spoke to the media following the contest.
The scene was reminiscent of a play in the second round of last year's playoffs when McQuaid missed a check on Flyers forward Mike Richards and crashed headfirst into the boards in Philadelphia. McQuaid suffered a sprained neck and missed the final two games of that series, but returned to play all 14 games of the Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup Finals.
The Bruins are already without defenseman Steven Kampfer, who suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee during the preseason, and center David Krejci, who missed Wednesday's game and is day to day with a core injury suffered Tuesday in practice.
If McQuaid is unable to play in Saturday's game in Chicago, Matt Bartkowski would get the call to fill in on the blue line. Bartkowski played 8:22 with a pair of hits and a blocked shot in the season opener against Philadelphia when McQuaid was sidelined with an illness.
