Namestnikov was positioned in the slot when a shot from Nate Schmidt at the point struck him in the head, deflected by Colorado's Andrew Cogliano. After being down on the ice for about a minute, Namestnikov made his way to the locker room via the Avalanche bench, accompanied by trainers. He held a towel to his head to stem the bleeding.
At the time of the incident, the Avalanche were leading 4-1, eventually securing a 3-1 series lead with an empty-net goal. Namestnikov, who recorded 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) over 78 regular-season games, has scored one goal in four playoff games. Game 5 is set for Tuesday at Canada Life Centre.
