New York Ranger's Forward Ryan Carpenter delivers a questionable hit on Nico Sturm
Late in the first period of the San Jose Sharks versus New York Rangers game a questionable hit occurred. New York's center Ryan Carpenter had a risky hit that injured Sharks forward Nico Sturm near the blueline. Immediately after the hit, Luke Kunin came right after Carpenter challenged him and tackled him to the ice. Good for Kunin for standing up for his teammate. This drew the attention of the remaining players on the ice who all gathered at center ice.
Sturm immediately went to the dressing room for evaluation. Sturm had possession of the puck and his head was towards the side boards. He never even saw Carpenter taking a run at him. Sturm's head and shoulder went hard into the side boards, and he did not get up at first. The Rangers caught a break when Carpenter was only assessed a two-minute minor penalty.
This was not a great play by Carpenter. He probably should have held up before ramming Sturm from behind. You hate to see hits like this, and players leave the ice injured. Hockey is a fast game and decisions are made in a split second though. This was not the worst hit from behind ever, however hits from behind can be dangerous. Carpenter needs to raise his awareness level when checking. Thankfully Sturm was able to return to the game.
| POLL | ||
Is this hit clean or dirty? | ||
| Clean | 16 | 53.3 % |
| Dirty | 14 | 46.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
