Predators player gets bloody, R-shaped mark on his head and Twitter has a ball
At the outset here, it’s important to note that the gash Viktor Arvidsson suffered on his head Monday may not have been as bad as it appeared given that he stayed in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. Then again, considering his Nashville Predators were playing to lock up a berth in the Stanley Cup finals — and that Arvidsson is, you know, a hockey player — it probably would have taken something closer to decapitation to get him off the ice.
In any event, Arvidsson’s gash immediately caught the attention of observers, because the trickle of blood took the distinct shape of the letter “R.” The Swedish forward had been driven into the boards by Ducks forward Nick Ritchie, who received a game-misconduct penalty and ejection for his rough play.
Predictably, that led to a flurry of jokes online, at which even Arvidsson could probably chuckle, in light of Nashville’s 6-3 triumph over Anaheim.
Some pointed out that by leaving Arvidsson with a mark that resembled the first letter of his name, Ritchie had made like Zorro on skates. Others were happy to have more fun with the gory image.
Minus Ritchie and facing a 2-0 deficit after the first period, the Ducks battled back to tie the game at 3-3 in the third, but the Preds scored with six minutes to go, then added a couple of empty-netters to seal the first trip to the Stanley Cup finals in the franchise’s 18-year history. Arvidsson did not notch a point Monday, but the undersized forward (5-foot-9, 180 pounds) tied for the team lead in scoring during the regular season, his second full NHL campaign.
Going into Monday, Arvidsson was tied for second in playoff scoring with 10 points, and Nashville is in greater need of his skills than ever given the season-ending thigh injury suffered Thursday by Ryan Johansen, arguably the team’s biggest offensive threat. In the meantime, Arvidsson and the Preds can bask in Monday’s huge, unprecedented win.
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