Last night's game three matchup between the Oilers and Canucks really started to unravel at the final buzzer. In the final moments of the game, a scrum broke out behind the net, and McDavid took a really ugly looking cross check.
Nikita Zadorov came in and cross check McDavid in the back, which sent him falling to the ice. While falling, Carson Soucy caught McDavid in the face with an absolutely reprehensible cross check. Now, the NHL is already looking into a suspension.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli has indicated that the league will absolutely seriously look into a suspension, because the cross check came after the final buzzer. Attacks made after the end of the game aren't looked on kindly by the NHL, especially like Morgan Rielly's cross check on Ridly Greig this year, for which Rielly was suspended 5 games. NHL insider Craig Burton has called so swift justice on this play, saying anything less than a suspension is a failure from Player Safety.
Player Safety is always very lenient when it comes to supplemental discipline in the playoffs, but there are some plays too egregious to ignore - and this is one of them. Frankly, Soucy should not be available for the rest of the series for this brutal play. The NHL should have a clear cut case as to who to protect here - the biggest superstars in the sport, or some plug defenceman. The choice should be clear.
