Watch: Flames' James Neal Loses Several Teeth After High Stick
Flames wing James Neal was the recipient of an inadvertant high stick from Canucks defenseman Alex Biega on Saturday night, losing several teeth in the process. Biega was assessed a four-minute penalty as officials collected Neal's dislodged teeth on the ice.
Neal returned to action prior to the end of Biega's penalty.
"That's why there are dentists, right?" Flames head coach Bill Peters told reporters postgame. "I think for every tooth he lost, they got a minor."
The broadcast quickly noted that Neal's teeth were fake, but a shot of him on the bench still showed a bloody lip from the aftermath. Vancouver won in a shootout on Saturday, defeating the Flames 4-3 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Neal is in his 11th NHL season. He played with four different teams before joining the Flames, tallying 268 career goals.
The Flames are first in the Western Conference at 34–15–6. The Canucks are ninth in the West at 25–24–7.