Should Oilers Star Be Suspended For This High Hit On Panthers Captain?

The Stanley Cup Final reached a new level of nasty Monday night when the Oilers and Panthers clashed in Sunrise, Fla.

Florida owns a 2-0 series lead, holding court at home, after pulling away late for a 4-1 win in Game 2. However, the Cats could face adversity as the series shifts to Canada with Florida captain Aleksander Barkov’s status uncertain for Game 3.

Barkov was on the wrong end of a high hit from Oilers star Leon Draisaitl midway through the third period Monday night. The hit sent Barkov to the ice, and he needed to be helped off. Despite Florida leading by just a goal at the time, Barkov — one of the best two-way players in the world — didn’t return.

Here’s a look at the hit:

After review, Leon Draisaitl received a two minute minor for roughing on this play pic.twitter.com/RUte3qm4zw

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) June 11, 2024

As noted in the tweet and the video itself, officials reviewed the play and only assessed Barkov a minor penalty for roughing. Perhaps the NHL Department of Player Safety will review to determine if supplemental discipline is warranted, but that seems unlikely after the on-ice review only led to a minor.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice was tight-lipped about the play after the game. Asked whether he had any update on Barkov, he simply replied “none,” and then given his chance share any of his “feelings” on the hit, he delivered an on-brand response.

“This isn’t the ‘Oprah Winfrey Show,'” he replied in his postgame press conference. “My feelings don’t matter.”

Losing Barkov for any time could shift the series back toward Edmonton, despite Florida’s 2-0 lead. Barkov is the heartbeat of the Panthers and gets the bulk of the club’s toughest minutes. In this series, that means a lot of Connor McDavid. While Edmonton has largely carried the play when the two have been on the ice at the same time, the Panthers have yet to give up a five-on-five goal with Barkov out there. Take him away, and the dam could break, especially as the series shifts back to Edmonton.

The Oilers, though, have their own injury issue. Defenseman Darnell Nurse got the worst of an awkward hit from Game 2 hero Evan Rodrigues, limiting the 6-foot-4 blueliner to just 4 minutes and 20 seconds of ice time.