Jets’ Namestnikov leaves Game 4 after taking puck to face

A scary incident caused one of the veteran forwards on the Winnipeg Jets roster to leave a game prematurely.

In the third period of Game 3 between the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche, Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov was forced to exit the game after taking a puck to his face.

The injury happened right off of an offensive zone faceoff just before the seven-minute mark of the third. Winnipeg’s Adam Lowry won the draw back to defenseman Nate Schmidt, who unleashed a slap shot right above the faceoff circles. His shot went high, and caught Namestnikov right underneath the visor, immediately sending the 31-year-old down to the ice.

Namestnikov was helped off the ice, and brought immediately down the Avalanche’s tunnel to be tended to.

To no one’s surprise, Namestnikov did not return, as the Jets ended up losing on Sunday, 4-1, falling to a 3-1 series hole. The Russian native played 10:05 in the game with a shot on goal and a minus-one rating.

It is not the first time the Jets have lost a veteran presence due to a nasty-looking injury. During Game 3 on Friday, defenseman Brendan Dillon was cut during a melee in a 6-2 loss, and did not play on Sunday.

Namestnikov has played in all three games of the series, scoring a goal in Winnipeg’s 7-6 victory in the series opener last Sunday.

78 regular-season games, Namestnikov scored 11 goals and 26 assists, a vast improvement from his 25-point output during the 2022-23 campaign.

The former Tampa Bay Lightning has scored 126 goals and 172 assists in 708 career games, including 14 points in 57 playoff games.

The series shifts back to Winnipeg for Game 4 on Tuesday.