Brent Sopel (left) of the Chicago Blackhawks is checked by Vancouver Canucks’ Ryan Shannon during extra time in their NHL game in Vancouver, British Columbia yesterday. The Canucks defeated the Blackhawks 3-2. (REUTERS)

BUFFALO, New York • Florida Panthers Slovakian forward Richard Zednik left yesterday’s National Hockey League game against Buffalo with a gash in his neck caused by the skate of teammate Olli Jokinen.

Jokinen was being checked by Buffalo’s Clarke MacArthur, when Jokinen’s skate sliced Zednik, who was coming up from behind.

Zednik, who bled profusely from his neck, was able to skate toward his bench where he was met by the trainer and immediately ushered to the locker room.

Zednik was rushed to the hospital while the game was delayed for more than five minutes in the third period.

The play brought back memories of when then-Buffalo netminder Clint Malarchuk had his jugular sliced in a 1989 game against the St. Louis Blues.

Zednik has 15 goals, 11 assists and 43 penalty minutes in 54 games this season.

He also represented his native Slovakia in the 2006 Winter Olympics, scoring one goal in six games.

This is the second skate cut incident for the National Hockey League in two days.

Veteran NHL linesman Pat Dapuzzo was injured when Philadelphia Flyer’s Steve Downie inadvertently struck Dapuzzo in the face with his skate in a game between Philadelphia and New York on Saturday.