NHL could act before Game 3 as Rasmus Ristolainen's head punch on Sidney Crosby crossed the line
Photo credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Rasmus Ristolainen's punch at Sidney Crosby's head crossed the line, and the NHL should sit him for Game 3.
This is not about old rivalry heat. This is about a deliberate shot after the whistle in a series already boiling over.
Philadelphia owns a 2-0 series lead after a 3-0 win Monday, and Game 3 shifts to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday night.
That matters, because the league cannot preach control in April and then shrug when a veteran defender swings at a superstar's head.
Ristolainen is not some depth extra hanging on for shifts. He logged 24:49 in Game 2 and already has 0-2-2 in this series.
You can see the punch land after the play is dead, the kind of cheap extra that changes a series mood in a second.
The Flyers will call it playoff nastiness. The video looks worse than that, and the head is the target.
Rasmus Ristolainen puts Philadelphia Flyers at risk
Fans love snarl in this rivalry, but this felt dumb, not hard.
Sidney Crosby finished the regular season with 29-45-74 in 68 games, and Pittsburgh still runs through his touches even down 0-2.
Take that player off balance with legal pressure, fine. Throw a gloved shot high after the whistle, and the league has to answer.
Ristolainen had only 1-13-14 in 44 regular-season games, so his real playoff value is on the blue line, in net-front battles, and on the kill.
A one-game suspension would hit Philadelphia where it actually hurts. Rick Tocchet would lose a top-pair minutes eater just as the matchup goes on the road.
The official Player Safety page had no posted Ristolainen ruling at publication time. That should and could change before Game 3, however.
If the NHL wants any line between nasty and reckless, this is the spot to draw it.
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