Canadians forward Max Pacioretty was hospitalized for precautionary reasons after getting hit last night.
The Canadians have got to be hoping that it really is just as a precaution.
Montreal Canadians forward and leading scorer Max Pacioretty was in a lot of distress last night after being run into the boards by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner. Pacioretty was down on the ice for a while, before attempting to get up, but ended up going back down on the ice and needed to be helped off.
Pacioretty was sent to a local hospital for what the team is calling ‘precautionary reasons’.
There was no penalty called on the play, but it definitely seems there should have been. Pacioretty is caught admiring his pass a bit, but it was still a late hit by Stoner, and undoubtedly a cross-check.
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You can’t say it was a hit from behind, but there was certainly enough time for Stoner to ease up. Instead, he fully follows through with his hit way after the puck is gone.
The Canadians were winning the game at the time of the hit, but ended up losing the game 2-1.
A healthy Max Pacioretty may have made a difference in the outcome of this game, so it’s a bit of a tough one to swallow for the Habs. It will be tough going forward if they have to play without their leading scorer for an extended period of time.
It’ll be interesting to see if the league steps in and hands out some kind of punishment to Stoner for the hit.
However, seeing as there was no penalty called on the play, he may just get a talking to from the Department of Player Safety.
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