Frightening scene in Milan as Auston Matthews gets hit with an elbow to the head
Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is at the Winter Olympics for Team USA, and things are already off to a rocky start for the superstar.
Just a few minutes into Team USA's game against Team Latvia, captain Auston Matthews has been dealt an apparent minor head injury.
He was elbowed in the head by a Latvian player, and there were no penalties on the play. Since that time, Matthews has gone back to the bench and only made his return moments ago.
The Americans were very lucky to get Matthews back, as that was never going to be a guarantee for the squad.
As it stands, the score against Latvia is 1-1 after the first period. The score should be a lot more for the Americans, but they had two goals disallowed.
A puck was also put off the crossbar, which just goes to show that the Americans have been dominant in this first period of play.
When it comes to Matthews, there are a lot of worried Toronto Maple Leafs fans right now, as they do not want to see their captain get injured.
An injured Matthews would be an absolute disaster for Team USA, and it would be disastrous to the Maple Leafs' playoff hopes.
Team USA is one of the favorites in this tournament, and they are attempting to keep up with Team Canada, which dominated Czechia by a score of 5-0.
There is a good chance these two times find each other in the gold medal game. There is no guarantee, but it is likely.
Whether or not the Americans can finish off this game is something that still very much remains to be seen.
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