Just two games into the Eastern Conference final and it has been nothing short of remarkable. It feels like old-time hockey with the hard and heavy hitting, and although there have been an awful lot of legal hits, there have also been quite a bit of shenanigans that tow or cross the line.
Look at the hit that Florida Panthers Dimitry Kulikov laid on New York Rangers Alex Wennberg, for example. If you take a look at one angle, it looks as if he launched himself at him, but if you take a look at the other angle, it is clear that he had his elbow in and when he lifted one leg, it was to take a stride and not to give himself more momentum at Wennberg. But is this type of hit, not necessarily this hit suspension worthy?
It's refreshing as a person that follows the game and gets to share their opinion that hits such as this are reviewed. While the game at it's core shouldn't change, it's important that their is an avenue for review for all types of things that happen throughout.
The game is faster today as it ever was and with that players who don't keep their head up will get hit. Was this a case of a player trying to get to a puck without knowing who was around him? Sure seemed like it. If the league wants to get serious about making sure their players go home at the end of the night, they need to make sure that everyone knows they play a role in the safety of the game.
