Connor McDavid receives a cross check to the face after the game
The Vancouver Canucks squeaked out a 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers, for a 2-1 series lead, and things got wild right after the final buzzer.
Arturs Silovs was a superhero in goal, making save after 42 saves on 45 shots, including a clutch stop against Connor McDavid to seal the victory.
Yet the real drama came following the save. Canucks' defenseman Carson Soucy decided to give McDavid a little shove, and McDavid wasn't having it. He retaliated with a slash at Soucy's legs. Then Soucy swung back with a cross-check, catching McDavid high, while Nikita Zadorov got in on the action with a cross-check to McDavid's back.
Soucy ended up with a cross-checking penalty for his troubles. Still, the real question is whether the NHL's Department of Player Safety will dig into this mess, especially since it involves none other than McDavid himself.
Sounds like the league will be reviewing the cross check from Carson Soucy on Connor McDavid at the end of game three.
Media and former NHL players are all over social media, debating what's next in this drama.
TSN broadcaster Farhan Lalji had this to say:
Watching this a ton, none of it looks good. Starts with the 2-hand slash from McDavid & then cross checks from Soucy/Z. I'm sure this will get looked at by the league. My opinion? Soucy intends to cross check him in the chest, but the Zadorov cross-check knocks 97 down & Soucy winds up hitting him in the face.
Through all of this Soucy tried to defend himself.
The defense of Carson Soucy rests on something flimsy ("I was aiming for his chest, but my teammate cross-checked him in the back so I missed"), but honestly, it's so, so clear that he didn't meant to connect with McDavid's head.
However, that action was over the line. It's intense at playoff time, but there's a difference between intense and reckless. After the final buzzer, things simmer down, but not this time. Sure, he got charged with a minor penalty for a cross check to the face right at the buzzer, but, that's not enough if the NHL doesn't step in with some discipline. And if the Canucks want any shot at Game 4, they better hope Soucy's still in the lineup. Regardless, be in for tough sledding with an enraged Oilers team looking to even the score one way or another.
| POLL | ||
13 MAI | 955 ANSWERS Connor McDavid receives a cross check to the face after the game Do you think Carson Soucy will be suspended for Game 4 after his cross check to the face of Connor McDavid? | ||
| Yes | 659 | 69 % |
| No | 296 | 31 % |
| List of polls | ||
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