Scary Scene in Montreal As Sharks' Chernyshov Knocked Out Cold

A scary scene at the Bell Centre in Montreal, as San Jose Sharks forward Igor Chernyshov took a high hit to the head from Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson and dropped to the ice hard face-first in an ugly fashion. It appeared he was knocked out cold.

Igor Chernyshov takes a shot to the head and looks to be knocked out. Then tries to get up and stumbles. pic.twitter.com/eXavUV9lOE
— JD Young (@MyFryHole) March 14, 2026

Chernyshov tried to get up a couple of times, but couldn't. He was bleeding from the head.

Chernyshov bleeding from the head after that high hit from Matheson. Fell awkwardly on the ice, then fell down twice as he tried to get up. Scary moment
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) March 14, 2026

It appeared that Matheson got him with the elbow or arm right in the jaw area. There was no penalty on the play.

Chernyshov is being evaluated and will not return to tonight’s game.

The 20-year-old, a rookie and high-end prospect, has been up and down between the Sharks and their AHL affiliate, the Barracuda this season. He had 33 points in 41 games on the farm. He was just re-inserted into the Sharks' lineup for tonight's game after being recalled on Thursday. In 15 previous games up with the big club, he's already made an impact, with three goals and 11 points with a +2 rating.

The power forward was the 33rd overall pick by San Jose (top of the second round) in the 2024 NHL Draft.