Islanders’ Clutterbuck weighs in on hit that injured Brandon Carlo originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Cal Clutterbuck isn’t trying to make any friends in Boston, but he still wishes the best for Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo.
The New York Islanders forward delivered the third-period hit that knocked Carlo out of Thursday’s Game 3 and has ruled the defenseman out for Game 4 of the teams’ second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum.
Clutterbuck drove his shoulder into Carlo with about 13:50 left in regulation, causing Carlo’s head to hit the boards. Clutterbuck wasn’t assessed a penalty for the hit but expressed remorse Saturday when asked about the play Saturday.
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“Obviously you feel bad. You don’t want to see anybody hurt,” Clutterbuck told reporters after New York’s morning skate. “I’m not going out there and trying to hurt people. That’s not the goal. The goal is to be effective and try and create turnovers.
“So when that happens, obviously it’s unfortunate. It gives you a bad feeling in your stomach definitely and I don’t like to see that at all. So I hope he’s O.K.”
Clutterbuck plays a physical game on the Islanders’ fourth line but doesn’t have a history of crossing the line, and his hit on Carlo was clean that yielded an unfortunate result when Carlo’s head hit the glass.
The Bruins defenseman missed the majority of March due to a head injury after Tom Wilson drove him into the boards, and head coach Bruce Cassidy said Saturday that Carlo is “day-to-day.”
Jeremy Lauzon will replace Carlo on the Bruins’ second D pairing for Game 4 alongside Mike Reilly, while Jarred Tinordi will slide in on the third pairing opposite Connor Clifton.