Penguins' Nick Bonino played through broken leg in Game 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nick Bonino played the final two periods of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final with a broken leg.

Not a bone bruise. Not a hairline fracture. A tibia that was broken all the way through.

The break happened when Bonino blocked a P.K. Subban shot with his left leg in the first period of the second game of the series May 31. After heading to the locker room for medical attention, Bonino returned to play a regular shift the rest of the game.

After missing Game 3, Bonino tried to make a comeback for Game 4 six days after the injury occurred. He got his foot into a skate and joined the team for part of a practice in Nashville, but ultimately couldn't go.

“A little bit crazy, yeah,” Bonino admitted. “The tibia was cracked all the way through. I think people assumed when I tried it, it was getting better, but it was getting worse. I just wanted to see if there was one chance to do it, we would try. Put a lot of medicine into it and wasn't able to push off like I wanted to.”

For Bonino, seeing the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in his absence was extremely satisfying, largely because of how the team pulled off a Game 6 victory.

They killed four penalties, including 37 seconds of five-on-three time in the second period, to defeat the Predators, 2-0.

Penalty killing is a subject that is close to Bonino's heart.

“It felt amazing,” Bonino said. “We've done it all year. Whoever goes down, you pick it up by committee. Just the way we won tonight, killing off four penalties and getting a late goal and sealing it was amazing.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.