BOSTON — The Bruins couldn't have scripted a better debut to their exhibition season, with one very notable exception.
While the 5-2 final on the scoreboard thrilled the 11,571 on hand at the Garden for the first of two rookie games against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, things took on a more somber tone at 10:07 of the third period, when Bruins forward Joe Colborne had to be helped off the ice bleeding profusely.
"I just spoke with Joe," said Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli after the game. "It looks like he's got a broken nose. He took some stitches here and here [pointing to the area above his lip]. There's a chipped tooth. He was lucid. He's going to go to the hospital to be checked out. He was in good spirits, actually. I think he'll be OK."
Colborne was struck along the boards just inside the Islanders' zone, and New York forward Justin DiBenedetto was given a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct on the play. It may not have been the elbow that did the bulk of the damage though, as an errant Bruins stick may also have struck Colborne.
"I didn't see the replay," said Chiarelli. "I was told it was our own stick. I haven't seen the replay though."
The good news is that Colborne appears to have avoided a concussion on the play, at least according to the initial medical assessments.
"It doesn't look like it, based on what they told me now and based on what I saw," said Chiarelli.
Colborne is still likely to be held out of Thursday night's rematch as a precaution.
"My guess is yeah, he won't be playing tomorrow," said Chiarelli.
Colborne had been enjoying a strong game in his Bruins debut prior to the injury. He picked up a secondary assist on Boston's first goal, made some nice defensive plays and even jumped in to defend linemate Jordan Caron in an early scrum.
"He's a very good team player," said Caron, who finished with three goals on the night. "Everybody in the room likes him."
And no one in the Bruins room liked seeing Colborne leave the ice bloodied.
"I didn't see it," said Caron. "You never wish that to happen to somebody on your team or any team. I feel very sorry for him, but we don't know yet what's going on with him."
