OLYMPICS: Ice hockey-Poulin injury worry overshadows Canada's comfortable Czech win

MILAN – Canada were left concerned about their captain Marie-Philip Poulin after she took a heavy hit during the first period of their 5-1 victory over the Czech Republic in the women’s Olympic ice hockey tournament on Monday.

Poulin, appearing in her fifth Olympics, was slammed into the boards by Kristyna Kaltounkova in the ninth minute and struggled to get back on her feet, grimacing in pain. Canada led 1-0 at the time.

Poulin could be a doubt for Tuesday’s highly anticipated clash with rivals the United States.

“If she’s fine, then I would play her. We want her in that game if she’s able to play,” Canada coach Troy Ryan told reporters. “If it’s something that 24 to 48 hours of rest will benefit her, then we’ll obviously take that rest.”

Ryan said he was unsure of the severity of the injury or the exact area affected, noting it appeared to be a lower-body injury.

After briefly returning to the ice while Kaltounkova served a penalty for the illegal hit, Poulin left the ice again during Canada’s power play, assisted by medical staff.

Fans cheered loudly when Poulin returned to the bench in time to see her teammates score their fourth goal before the end of the first period. At the time, Kaltounkova was one of two Czech players serving penalties when Julia Gosling scored.

At the end of the first period, Poulin tested herself briefly on the ice but did not return to the bench for the second period. With Canada leading 5-0, a Team Canada spokesperson told Reuters that the 34-year-old would not return to the game, though no update on her condition was provided.

Canada will be particularly eager to have Poulin ready for the knockout stages, where they are expected to face the United States in what could be their seventh Olympic final meeting in eight Games.

Poulin is the only player, male or female, to score in four consecutive Olympic gold medal matches and has scored the game-winning goal in three finals, earning her the nickname “Captain Clutch.”

“I think it kind of hit us, we all felt it,” Poulin’s teammate Laura Stacey said. “But she’s picked us up so many times, she’s led the way, and it was our turn to pick her up. It was our turn to support her and try to do whatever we could to get the win tonight, for her and for ourselves as a group.” -Reporting by Trevor Stynes, additional reporting by Giulio PiovaccariEditing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters