Niklas Hjalmarsson can't talk after puck to throat, will still play Game 3

In Game 2, Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson took a puck to the throat but managed to miss no time. Now he can't even speak but he's still in the lineup for the Blackhawks.

Niklas Hjalmarsson after taking a puck to the throat. (Getty Images)

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Only in the Stanley Cup playoffs would this be considered "OK."

In Game 2 of the Blackhawks-Wild series, Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson took a puck square to the throat. He left the game briefly but returned for his next shift, amazingly. He'll also be returning for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

So everything's good, right? He avoided any damage at all? Not exactly.

Q said NIklas Hjalmarsson is fine, but he's unable to speak after taking a puck to the throat in Game 2. #Blackhawks

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) May 6, 2014

Q doesn't think being unable to talk on the ice will hinder Hjalmarsson much. #Blackhawks

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) May 6, 2014

Sure, he's fine. Who needs to be able to speak anyway?

Really though, if he's physically OK other than the rather big detail of having the ability to really talk right now -- for a few weeks even -- it makes sense that he might play. What's stunning, though, is that he didn't miss any time in Game 2 after taking a shot to the throat, one that was so bad it caused him to lose his voice.

Here's a look at the original play (via @MyRegularFace).

Ho hum, just another day at the office.