'Superstar rule book': Fans cry foul after brutal NHL hit
Two bone-crunching hits have taken place in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid perhaps fortunate to escape without a penalty for his shot on the San Jose Sharks' Marcus Sorensen.
McDavid's Oilers were trailing 3-1 to the Sharks in game five of their first-round series when he blindsided Sorensen in the middle of the ice.
Edmonton recovered the puck in the process and produced a driving shot, though they wouldn't score.
One commentator said "it could have easily been an interference call" on the 20-year-old centre, and fans seemingly agreed.
Is there anything McDavid can't do? Yeah, get an interference penalty.
— Rich Lucy (@RichLucy) April 21, 2017
sportsnet: here's a true sign of leadership *shows McDavid committing blatant interference that isn't called*
— sk (@xyloboned) April 21, 2017
So you can hit a guy without the puck now? Playoff and superstar rule book applied on that McDavid hit. Interference - period.
— Jamie Nye (@jamienye) April 21, 2017
The Oilers went on to make a stunning comeback to take control of the seven-game series.
Edmonton scored late in the second and third periods to send the game to overtime, where they pulled out another goal for a 4-3 victory.
Earlier in the night's action, Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith knocked the helmet off the head of Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson with a brutal hit.
The Predators were just 20 minutes away from moving on to the second round of the playoffs, leading 1-0 on the night after three wins to open the first-round series.
With the Blackhawks keen to make their way back into the series Keith made the decision to lay a strong hip check on Arvidsson along the boards.
Remarkably, Arvidsson got straight back up off the ice - although he did spend some time on the bench.
Yet he came back to score the final goal of the game as Nashville won 4-1 to secure the series win.