Sharks Center Couture Taken to Hospital After Puck Hits Him in the Mouth

NASHVILLE – After taking a deflected puck to the face, Sharks center Logan Couture was taken to a local hospital in the Nashville area, coach Pete DeBoer said after the game.
 
There was no further information about how serious his injury might be.
 
"I don't have a report. I heard they took him to the hospital. That's the last I heard," DeBoer said.
 
Couture was set up just outside the crease when a Brent Burns point shot late in the second period hit a stick before squarely smacking into the 27-year-old's mouth. Replays showed Couture appeared to lose at least one tooth, and he quickly skated to the dressing room under his own power with just 14 seconds before the intermission.
 
Losing Couture would be a devastating blow to a team that has lost six in a row in regulation, including Saturday night's 7-2 thrashing at the hands of the Predators. Couture is third on the team in scoring with 52 points, and has a team-leading 11 power play goals. He entered Saturday's game with four goals and five assists in his last 10 games, seemingly heating up since the All-Star break.
 
Frequent linemate Patrick Marleau was asked how tough it would be to lose Couture.
 
"You can't replace him, so it would be really tough," he said. "But if that is the case, then guys are going to have to pull up the slack. Definitely we hope he's back sooner."