Penguins Brian Dumoulin, Kris Letang Injured in Stadium Series

When the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers get together, nastiness often follows, and with their 2019 NHL Stadium Series matchup at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia coming just days after Penguins center Evgeni Malkin was suspended for swinging his stick at Philadelphia’s Thomas Raffl, some was certainly expected on Saturday night.

The game started off innocently enough, but the tone changed late in the first period when Penguins defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang both left the game with injuries on the same play.

Dumoulin lined up to play the puck along the boards, where he was lined up for a hard hit by Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds rose up on his skates and hit Dumoulin high, with significant contact from the hit carrying Dumoulin’s head into the glass.

Simmonds’ hit on Dumoulin. pic.twitter.com/F2trugCpEM

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) February 24, 2019

Dumoulin slumped to the ice, and the Penguins and Flyers got together in a scrum that saw Letang and Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere tumble to the ice.

And the ensuing chaos. pic.twitter.com/dgit6SWbmx

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) February 24, 2019

Simmonds and Letang were both whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, but more importantly, both of the Penguins’ top-pair defensemen went down the tunnel and into the locker room and did not return.

The physicality of the game ramped up after that, with Jack Johnson and Nolan Patrick exchanging a pair of big hits. Johnson was penalized for his.

The Penguins were forced to carry on with just four defensemen: Jack Johnson, Marcus Petterson, Chad Ruhwedel and Justin Schultz.