Everyone held their breath on Monday night as Noah Laba was hit by Vinnie Hinostroza’s shot directly in the face. 

In the second period of the New York Rangers’ game against the Minnesota Wild, Laba was hit in the face by the puck, almost immediately after Hinostroza fired his shot. 

Laba was bleeding, clearly in both pain and shock, as the trainers rushed to the ice and helped him back into the locker room in what was a scary sight. 

Fortunately, Laba came back into the game in that very same period, wearing a fishbowl helmet to protect the stitched wounds on his face. 

Being a rookie looking to prove himself, every shift matters for Laba, and he impressed Mike Sullivan, who raved about his toughness after the game.

“Yeah, that’s scary,” Sullivan said. “Any time a player gets hit in the face like that, it’s really scary. Fortunately, it wasn’t too serious. He got stitched up. The fact that he came back, I think, just speaks to his competitiveness, his toughness. But that was a scary moment, for sure.”

Rangers' Emotions And Frustration Boil To The Surface After Loss To Wild Mike Sullivan and New York Rangers’ players were filled with disappointment and frustration after their 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday night. 

The 22-year-old forward has been playing a role as a bottom-six center, while also recording consistent minutes on both the power play and penalty kill.