Utah captain Clayton Keller left the ice just a minute into the second period against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night after a puck hit him in the face.
A shot from his teammate Michael Kesselring was deflected high, and the puck struck Keller in the face. He immediately removed his helmet, skated off the ice, and went straight to the locker room.
Keller returned to the ice with 4:40 remaining in the second period, showing signs of swelling and a cut above his eye. He helped set up Utah’s first goal of the game just 40 seconds later and later scored an empty-net goal in a 5-2 victory over the Jets.
“I got lucky,” Keller said after the game, sporting a dozen stitches and a bruised eyelid. “It didn’t catch my eye. It was so fast, you don’t feel much. But I tried to look through my eye and I knew I could, so I wasn’t really too worried after that.”
Keller’s quick return and tough performance helped shift momentum in Utah’s favor, leading to their second straight home victory to finish off a seven-game homestand.
“Coming back without hesitation, without a doubt in his head — that was great,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny.
Keller has been on a strong run, with 10 goals and 20 assists in his last 22 games. He had one goal and three assists in Utah’s 4-2 win over St. Louis on Saturday, matching his career-high of four points in a game. Keller leads the expansion team in both points (50) and assists (34) this season.
