Late in the first period of Game 1 between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, Jarret Stoll decided he wanted to surprise Sharks defenseman Ian White with a closer look at the end boards' glass. We don't think White appreciated it:
White did not return for the second period. There was no penalty on the play. Kyle Clifford and Ben Eager dropped the gloves after the next faceoff.
A.J. Perez of CBS Sports sees some suspension potential here. If the NHL is still in a message-sending mood, we agree; but this could just as easily be one of those brutal hits that deserved a boarding penalty but that Colin Campbell doesn't see as a suspension-level event. But it sure-as-heck should have been a penalty.
(We've seen more a few fans making the "if Raffi Torres got four games for this then Stoll should get …" argument. Apples and oranges on the types of hits and, again, it comes down to whether the NHL's still playing politics.)
That said: When's the last time you saw a hitter turn his head and stare at his target like Stoll did White? It's either a genuine moment of concern ... or intensely creepy.
UPDATE: This hit by Jason Demers of the Sharks on Ryan Smyth of the Kings is getting a lot of buzz the morning after the game. No penalty on this one, but at least one of the judges from the slam-dunk competition gave him a '9' for his vertical:
What a strange play. Would you categorize this as being as questionable as the Stoll hit?
Brittany Snow Lauren German Cindy Crawford Mariah OBrien Uma Thurman
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