Rangers' Brassard leaves game after hit by Canadiens' Weaver

New York Rangers forward Derick Brassard, who scored key goals for the Rangers in Games 6 and 7 of their second-round victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, left Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final early in the first period after being tagged by a big, clean open-ice hit from Canadiens defender Mike Weaver.

Here's the hit in question:

[By: @myregularface, courtesy: NBCSN]

Brassard took one more shift after this hit, spanning under 40 seconds, and was observed getting a massage on the bench before heading down the tunnel to the Rangers dressing room.

Brassard was reportedly dealing with a lower back injury in mid-April, which might serve to explain the massage.