ST. JOHN'S, N.L.

At least the Senators made it through the first period of their intra-squad game without a major injury scare.

They weren't so lucky in the second.

Top scoring right winger Bobby Ryan was held out of the last half of Sunday's red-white match after he had his "bell rung" in a collision with his centre, Kyle Turris.

Ryan won't play in either of Monday's pre-season games against the New York Islanders, as doctors want to make sure he doesn't experience any concussion symptoms.

"It was a broken play," said Ryan. "Turrey was circling one way behind the net and I was circling the other. I think we both had a pretty good head of steam and never saw each other. I just took it right in the chin.

"It was alarming, I guess, is the right word for it. They were very, very cautious and just said let's calm things down right away. It used to be you get it rung and you go right back out. That's where protocol was put into place, because of all the incidents in years past. When I talked to everybody real quick they said it wasn't worth it to go back out in those conditions. Let's just call it a day and re-evaluate (Monday)."

Ryan said he hasn't had a concussion in a long time -- so long ago he can't remember.

"I talked to the doctor and he said we've got to wait and see if symptoms appear," he said. "They haven't. I said after I came off I felt fine two minutes later and haven't had any issues like that since. I think that they're positive there won't be, but I guess symptoms can come for 24 hours or whatnot. I haven't had any."

Coach Paul MacLean was naturally concerned when he saw Ryan leave the game.

"Initially you were like ooh, what happened there?," said MacLean, who watched the action from upstairs. "But we feel it's not something that's going to keep him out. Following protocols, he's not going to play in either of the games (Monday). That's the only reason why."

Ryan's first season in Ottawa ended prematurely when he had surgery for a sports hernia in late March. Ryan had no such lower body issues Sunday.

As was the case when he was sidelined in March, Ryan's place on a line with Turris and Clarke MacArthur was taken by Mark Stone.

Stone originally started the intra-squad on the white team, for whom he scored a breakaway goal after stripping from David Legwand in the defensive zone blue line and racing the length of the ice. He was moved to the red team in what MacLean joked was a "shopping cart trade" for a "bowl of chips and a club sandwich" to start the third and set up MacArthur for a goal.

"That was interesting," MacLean said of the way the unit clicked. "I thought last year when he played there, he played well and they had success. It was good to see him go down there and again making something happen with them. I thought he had himself a good day, too."

Stone knows he's in a battle to make the team.

"I felt good, I felt like I was moving my feet," he said. "I felt confident coming into camp. I never really lost that since the end of the season. I felt good at the end of the season and I wanted to bring that into camp. So far, I feel good. I'm getting lots of chances to play, to play in every situation. Can't ask for much more than that."

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