Referee Eric Furlatt won’t miss any time after taking a helmet to the face on Saturday.
The unfortunate collision happened late in Saturday’s game between the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders. The Isles were sustaining offensive pressure as defenseman Andy Greene skated the puck around the board. Furlatt looked to move out of the way, but had nowhere to go with two Bruins players converging on the puck. He braced for impact, and caught Greene’s bucket right in the chops.
Referee Eric Furlatt took a helmet to the face at #NYIvsBOS. He stayed in the game, apparently suffering a chipped tooth on the play… #NHLBruins #Isles pic.twitter.com/jqJmwE2Wwx
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) March 26, 2022
Furlatt appeared to assess the damage, checking for blood and any missing chiclets. He appeared to fling an unidentified object toward the boards behind the net.
Referee Eric Furlatt just chucks away the two teeth he loses after taking an Andy Greene stick to the mouth 😂 pic.twitter.com/xd0BGu52ZW
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) March 26, 2022
Through it all, he never left the ice or sought medical attention. Mere moments later, he was at the opposite end of the ice, handing out a tripping penalty to Boston’s Tomas Nosek.
No word on the actual outcome. Furlatt is not expected to miss any time in the officiating rotation. He might, though, be missing some teeth.
UPDATE: He’ll be back on the ice Sunday for Sabres vs. Rangers.
