Daniel Winnik loses part of ear blocking shot

Washington Capitals forward Daniel Winnik lost part of his right ear blocking a shot during a 4-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Winnik was diving to block a slap shot by Panthers forward Reilly Smith at 9:22 of the third period with the Capitals killing a penalty. Winnik turned his head away from the shot but the puck hit him in the ear.

Winnik, who was down on the ice and attended to by Capitals head athletic trainer Greg Smith, left the game but returned.

"You didn't know what was going to happen," Capitals coach Barry Trotz told The Washington Post, "and really, he got the puck sort of in the ear hole [of the helmet] and it sort of pinched off his ear.
"Trainers looked at him, and he was fine, just missing a piece of his ear. It got chewed up a bit. It's just a small piece, but it got chewed up."
The Capitals, who did not practice Friday, host the New York Rangers at Verizon Center on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, CSN-DC, MSG, NHL.TV).