Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller is transported to the hospital after Dmitry Orlov of the Washington Capitals hit him high during Game 4 of their quarter-final series.
UPDATE: Kevan Miller will not return. He was transported to the hospital for scans and further evaluation.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 22, 2021
Kevan Miller Hurt On High Hit
Seven and a half minutes into the second period, Miller had the puck skating into the offensive zone. He passed the puck to teammate Nick Ritchie on the left-wing. Orlov came from the other side of the ice to hit Miller. However, Miller changed his angle slightly, and Orlov jumped and his arms hit Miller’s head. Miller left the game and didn’t return. Later the Bruins released that Miller was being transported to the hospital for further evaluation.
Here are a few angles of the hit.
Orlov leaves his skates to deliver a high hit to the head of Kevan Miller. Being assessed a major penalty which is under review pic.twitter.com/2nDPrcaOmk
— NHL Safety Watch (@NHLSafetyWatch) May 21, 2021
Dmitry Orlov with a dangerous hit on Kevan Miller. pic.twitter.com/UFxCQi2KrW
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) May 21, 2021
The 33-year-old Miller is in his seventh NHL season, all with the Boston Bruins. The Los Angeles native was never drafted and signed an amateur tryout with the Providence Bruins after his senior season with the University of Vermont in 2011. Miller started to regularly play in the NHL after two seasons in Providence. In 352 NHL games, Miller has 13 goals, 58 assists for 71 points and 281 penalty minutes.
Miller missed all of last season recovering from knee surgery after fracturing his knee cap during the 2018-19 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Bruins this past off-season.
What This Means for the Bruins
The most important thing is the long-term health of Miller. Hopefully, he hasn’t sustained a severe injury. If Miller misses games, the most logical replacement is fellow longtime Bruins defenceman, Steven Kampfer. Kampfer is a right-shot defenceman like Miller and has 231 games of NHL experience spread out over ten seasons.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
