Late-game antics from Ryan Hartman that left Evan Bouchard shaken and hobbling to the bench needs to be looked at by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
And given his long track record of supplemental discipline coming in the form of seven fines and four suspensions for seven games, it shouldn’t be hard for the league to get in touch with him.
With a little under four minutes left in the game and the Oilers up 6-1, a puck was dumped into the Oilers zone that saw Bouchard and Hartman give chase. The puck bounced off the boards behind the Oilers net back out to the goal line, as Bouchard had the inside track.
As the two approached the net, and before either had possession, Hartman deliberately hit Bouchard towards the net, with his left knee meeting Bouchard’s right. His head and shoulder appeared to hit the side of the post and net as he spun into the boards. The play would continue as Minnesota cycled the puck, with Bouchard slowly getting to his feet and hobbling towards the Oilers bench, clearly labouring his lower body.
A replay would show Bouchard writhing in pain on the bench before heading down the tunnel.