Murphy will travel with Blackhawks after being stretchered off

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher after Ottawa Senators forward Parker Kelly hit him hard into the boards from behind early in Saturday's game.

The officials handed Kelly a five-minute major for boarding. Murphy gave a thumbs-up as he was being taken off.

Blackhawks interim head coach Derek King said postgame that Murphy will travel back to Chicago with the team, according to The Athletic's Phillip Thompson.

Captain Jonathan Toews said Murphy is "OK," per the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus.

Murphy entered Saturday's matchup ranking second on the team in average ice time at 22:08. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has played all but three of Chicago's games this season, posting four goals and six assists.

Kelly was playing just his 26th NHL game and his 25th in 2021-22. The 22-year-old has split the campaign between the Senators and their AHL affiliate in Belleville.

Blackhawks forward Tyler Johnson later left Saturday's contest to enter concussion protocol, but King said he'll also travel back with the club, according to the Sun-Times' Ben Pope.

Toews also took several punches to the head in a fight with Zach Sanford in the first period, not long after the veteran center missed more than a month with a concussion of his own. However, he appeared no worse for wear when he scored twice in under two minutes at the start of the second frame.

The Blackhawks fell behind 2-0 early but rallied to defeat the Senators 6-3.

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