Flyers’ Garnet Hathaway injured by late hit, exits contest vs Penguins

A division rivalry gave way to a scary situation on Thursday night when a groggy Garnet Hathaway was escorted from the ice late in the second period of his Philadelphia Flyers’ tilt with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Just after Hathaway delivered a hard hit to Noel Acciari, Pittsburgh depth forward Boko Imama knocked the veteran grinder over with a late check. Hathaway’s head bounced off the ice, where he stayed for several moments before trainers and teammates helped him to the locker room.

Officials initially assessed Imama a five-minute major for interference, but overturned the call to a two-minute minor penalty on review to the chagrin of Flyers bench boss John Tortorella.

Hathaway, the Flyers’ leader in hits (214), has yet to miss a game since joining the club in the summer of 2023. His clean injury record will be jeopardized and his 600th NHL game delayed if his apparent concussion leads to an extended absence.

The Flyers got a measure of revenge on Hathaway’s behalf by scoring on the ensuing power play for Matvei Michkov’s second tally of the day, but Erik Karlsson cut the Philadelphia lead to 4-3 moments later with a second goal of his own.

The Penguins erased a 3-o deficit early in the third period, where the teams are locked in a 4-4 tie as the second half of their home-and-home showdown nears its conclusion.