UPDATE: The Department of Player Safety will meet with Dallas Stars center Cody Eakin on Friday to discuss discipline for his hit on New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist on Thursday.
Henrik Lundqvist hit up high in first game back with Rangers in a week
The Rangers’ goaltender returned just moments after this dangerous hit.
Original story follows.
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Just 10 minutes into Henrik Lundqvist’s first start in four games, the Rangers’ No. 1 goaltender was run over on a high hit from Cody Eakin.
A routine play behind the net took a dangerous turn after Eakin went up and into Lundqvist while the goaltender was playing the puck in the trapezoid.
Eakin was immediately tossed with a game misconduct and given a five-minute charging major, which the Stars killed with no problem. Whether supplemental discipline will be enforced is another matter entirely. Eakin made no clear move to slow down as Lundqvist was playing the puck behind the net.
A secondary angle shows Eakin leaving his skates to make the play.
Lundqvist was down on the ice for a few moments then was escorted off to the dressing room. The Rangers’ goaltender did make his way back into the game before the end of the first period.
If it’s not a malicious play, it’s most certainly a dumb one for Eakin to leave his feet on a play where Lundqvist is vulnerable. Lundqvist did sneak a look at Eakin before the hit, but the Stars’ forward has to pull up there.
It’s a play the NHL clearly does not want to see, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the league decides to make an example of Eakin for it.
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