February 24, 2013 8:08 pm

During Saturday night’s game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning, Alex Semin took a puck to the face.

Relax: he’s fine, and his face is mostly in tact.

Photo credit: Jamie Kellner

It all happened during the second period. About six minutes in, a puck hit Alex Semin in the side of his face. He fell to the ice, and play was stopped. After a few minutes in the quiet room, Semin returned to the ice, seemingly unscathed except for a puck-sized bruise on his right cheek. Considering Semin’s long-standing reputation as a “soft” player, here’s some striking evidence to the contrary.

Carolina ended up losing to Tampa by a score of 5 to 2. Semin earned four penalty minutes on the night– a trip and a high-stick— and was held without a point. Still, Semin is a positive possession player on a decent team. Carolina is currently second in the Southeast, two points behind Tampa with one fewer game played, and four points ahead of the Capitals.

Carolina comes to Washington on Tuesday night. Semin is expected to play. It’ll be his first game in Verizon Center since ~~April 5~~ May 9, 2012. Yeah, we’re on it.