Nathan Horton to miss the remainder of the Stanley Cup final with concussion after being hit by Aaron Rome

BOSTON - The Boston Bruins have announced right winger Nathan Horton will miss the rest of the Stanley Cup final with a severe concussion.

Meanwhile, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome, who hit Horton and sent him to hospital at the 5:07 mark of the first period in Game 3, awaits his fate. He will have a hearing with Stanley Cup final disciplinarian Mike Murphy at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Horton was taken off on a stretcher after the hit, which qualified as a late hit and was penalized on the ice with a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. The NHL standard when it comes to late hits is a half-second. Almost a full second passed between the time Horton passed the puck in the neutral zone to Milan Lucic and the hit by Rome.

If Rome is suspended, it likely won't be under Rule 48 because the hit did not meet the criteria for the NHL's definition of a head shot. It was a north-south hit and it could be argued Rome did not target Horton's head, nor did he leave his feet until after the hit was applied. But Rome is expected to receive supplemental discipline because the hit was late.

Horton's injury likely means Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin, who had been a healthy scratch in Game 3 and was replaced by Shawn Thornton, will be reinserted into the Bruins lineup. Should Rome be suspended, he will likely be replaced by one of Keith Ballard or Chris Tanev.