Vatanen confirms he suffered concussion on Kucherov hit

New Jersey Devils defenseman Sami Vatanen confirmed Tuesday that he suffered a concussion on the hit from Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov in Game 4, according to Devils beat reporter Amanda Stein.

Kucherov delivered the devastating blow late in the first period. The hit went unpunished and sidelined Vatanen for the remainder of the game and the decisive Game 5, in which the Lightning won the series.

In his three playoff games prior to the injury, Vatanen had scored one goal and averaged over 23 minutes.