BOSTON — Bruins forward Milan Lucic crashed into the boards during the second period of Sunday’s 4-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings and needed stitches to repair a cut on his foot during the intermission.
Lucic almost went to the bench after the collision but decided to stay on the ice. It proved to be a wise choice because he scored an important late-period goal moments later that gave Boston a 3-1 advantage in the first-round Stanley Cup playoff game at TD Garden.
“It was 50/50 there a little bit,” Lucic said of deciding to go to the bench or stay on the ice. “I cut my foot up pretty good there with my own skate blade. But luckily didn’t get off (the ice), and like I said (Torey Krug) made a great play to me, and (Jarome Iginla) made a great fake-shot pass to find me driving the net there. So good thing I stayed on the ice, and it ended up being a big goal to regain that two-goal lead.”
When asked how badly he hurt his foot, Lucic said he received “a couple stitches” but that it’s “a long way from the heart.”
Luckily for the Bruins, the 25-year-old winger returned to the game and played well in the third period. His line, which includes David Krejci and Iginla, was much better in Game 2 than in the series-opening loss. The trio combined for one goal, two assists and five shots.
Game 3 of the Bruins-Red Wings series is Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
