Henrik Lundqvist OK after taking puck to throat (VIDEO)

Madison Square Garden fell quiet for what seemed like an eternity Saturday night after Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was struck directly in the throat by a shot deflected by Carolina's Jay McClement.

It was at 3:02 of second period when Lundqvist took the inadvertent shot after teammate Ryan McDonagh's stick accidentally lifted Lundqvist's mask while he battled with McClement in front of the net, and the puck slammed into the goalie's windpipe.

"It's hard to breathe for a couple of minutes, got a little light-headed," King Henrik said later. "I had some headaches for the rest of the game. They said that was because I couldn't breathe properly."

hit in the throat can't stop King Henrik from making ridiculous saves: http://t.co/fqfuWHKPhM https://t.co/EhjlEseZcF” @Mikemendolia_17
— Brad Hoffer (@BradHoffer39) February 1, 2015

Backup goalie Cam Talbot started stretching as both concerned benches stood around while Lundqvist stayed down on the ice.

Finally, to cheers of "Henrik, Henrik" Lundqvist got to his knees, slowly stood up and had a sip of water before strapping his helmet back on.

"I was getting ready for the shot, then I just feel a stick under my chin. It pulled up my helmet, so I lost the vision of the puck. I had a bad feeling about it because I could see the puck coming but then I lost track of it," said Lundqvist, who finished the 4-1 victory with 31 saves.

Henrik Lundqvist literally inconsolable after Rangers loss (PHOTOS)

Henrik Lundqvist just finished playing one of the greatest series as a goaltender in NHL Finals history and, as he lay splayed on the ice after Alec Martinez's goal Friday night, was heartbroken to realize the Kings goalie, Jonathan Quick, was just a couple of overtimes better.

The Kings had finished a 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Rangers, to finish an improbable playoff run and capture their second Stanley Cup Championship in three years, and Lundqvist wanted no part of it — or anyone.

After his 48-save game, Lundqvist sat at his locker stall with his hands covering his face, refusing to be consoled from even his closest teammates.

This picture says it all. Henrik deserved better. RT @svtlehmann: En otröstlig @HLundqvist30 pic.twitter.com/g4Nvuzm2IJ #NYR
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) June 14, 2014

When King Henrik finally did speak, it was the words of a man whose team had come so far over the last two months and still thought there was more to go.

“I knew going into this series that it would end in tears,” the Swedish goaltender finally said after pausing to collect his thoughts when asked to put it all in perspective. “Tears of joy or tears of heartbreak.

“Right now it’s extremely tough.”

Lundqvist finally came to grips with the fact that his brilliant play could only carry the Rangers so far.

“To play a game like this, you hope some guy scores the big goal for you,” Lundqvist said. “It was exhausting to play. … It was exciting to be out there, but sooner or later something is going to happen.”

pic.twitter.com/UNYCilTEKm
— Marie Lehmann (@svtlehmann) June 14, 2014

Now he can only imagine what might have been.