Capitals Defenseman Facing Potential Suspension After Cross Checking Canadiens Veteran in the Face

The Washington Capitals first round series against the Montreal Canadiens kicked off today and already we have a major controversy.

During the first period, Capitals defenseman Alexander Alexeyev got into a jousting match with Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher.

The two players exchanged a series of cross checks but it was Alexeyev who got the final blow.

This is because he caught Gallagher up high, cross checking him in the face, which forced the veteran to take himself out of the engagement.

Unfortuntely, the referees seemingly missed it despite the fact that this was going on after a whistle.

One could argue that both players deserved penalties on the play, but Alexeyev certainly deserved at least two minutes for it, and this is bordering on major penalty territory.

While Alexeyev may have gotten away with this one for now, he could certainly face supplementary discipline from the Department of Player Safety for it.

Just before the end of the regular season, we saw Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse suspended for cross checking to the head, although he also received a major penalty on that play.

Hopefully the referees won't let any more plays like this slide as the playoffs continue.

We would not want to see things devolve and we certainly don't want to see anyone getting hurt, which is a real possibility on plays like the one Alexeyev got away with.

Be sure to stay tuned to see how the rest of the game plays out and whether or not the refs can get a handle on the game.