Jack Eichel left Game 4 for a brief moment due to a freak injury.
In the final minute of the second period on Saturday, teammate Jonathan Marchessault took a shot at the net but the puck ricocheted off Eichel's neck/ear region. He collapsed onto the ice momentarily before skating off in discomfort.
Yet, Eichel was able to play the rest of the game and will be in the lineup for Game 5 at home on Tuesday, as Vegas could win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
This is also not the first time Eichel has been banged up during a Stanley Cup playoff. Matthew Tkachuk made a massive open ice hit during Game 2 that forced Eichel to the locker room for a brief moment.
"I kind of toe-picked a little bit and saw him at the last minute. He finishes what I saw was a clean check on me," Eichel said. "It's a physical game. You're gonna get hit sometimes."
Jack Eichel's importance to Vegas Golden Knights
Having Jack Eichel play in Game 5 is huge for the Vegas Golden Knights as he is one of the best players in the world and has been a key playoff performer.
If Eichel and the Golden Knights can win Game 5, they will hoist the Stanley Cup, which is a dream come true for Eichel.
"You'd be lying if you're a hockey player and you're in this situation and you said you weren't," Eichel said. "It's tough to get your mind off of it... Honestly, people have been very respectful. I get a lot of texts after games and you get a lot of texts between rounds, but for the most part people are pretty good. I try to keep my circle pretty tight."
Since being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights from the Buffalo Sabres, Jack Eichel has become a star. Although his time in Buffalo did not end well, he says he still is thankful for that experience.
"I think your perspective changes a bit as you get older and you start to value certain things differently," said Eichel. "The way you look at things changes. It comes with experience, time and adversity. That's probably why I feel I have a different mindset now than I did years ago. I couldn't be happier and more fortunate to have landed here."
In the playoffs, Eichel has recorded 23 points in 21 games as he has six goals and 17 assists.