Niklas Kronwall crunches Nikita Kucherov in big collision (Video)
Niklas Kronwall is known as a guy who plays a little fast and loose when it comes to how he hits his opponent. But he has never been suspended. Maybe some discipline will come from this bashing of Nikita Kucherov if Tampa Bay forces Game 7 against the Red Wings?
Was Kucherov sliding downward? Perhaps. But Kronwall followed through on Kuecherov, made the head the primary point of contact and … yeah, the rest is what it is. He also left his feet, which was a no-no said one awesome-haired former NHL referee.
As for Kronwall, of course he came to his own defense per MLive:
“I haven’t seen it in replay so I can’t really say too much about it,” Kronwall said before adding, “I thought it was a clean hit at the time.”
And Tampa coach John Cooper who had been a little ciritical of the officiating this series? Subtle dig perhaps? Again from MLive.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper had no complaints about the hit but that’s because Cooper said he didn’t see it.
“The refs didn’t call a penalty so it must have been OK,” Cooper said.
It’s the playoff. Physicality is ramped up and prior history is also taken into consideration. Also, Kronwall did not receive a penalty on the play nad Kucherov returned.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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