Maple Leafs Defenseman Chris Tanev Could be in Trouble After Nasty Hit From Behind
Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev crushes Bruins forward David Pastrnak with a hard hit from behind and could find himself in trouble with Player Safety as a result.
In the late stages of the 1st period of Tuesday's matchup between the Leafs and Bruins, Toronto's own Chris Tanev found himself in a position where he had lined up Boston's David Pastrnak for a hit. As the puck carrier, Pastrnak was eligible to be hit, so there was no real problem with that aspect of the play, but what raised some alarm bells was that, as Pastrnak turned to the boards in an attempt to spin off of the hit, Tanev followed through and drilled him right in the numbers.
The hit drew a crowd, with some fur flying on both sides as Pastrnak lay prone on the ice for a moment before getting back to his feet and joining the fray. Thankfully, there was no injury on the play, though Tanev was issued 2 minutes for boarding and 2 minutes for roughing. Boston's Brad Marchand also landed a 2-minute minor for roughing during the melee.
The problem for the Leafs here is that similar hits in the past have resulted in suspensions. I certainly don't believe, if he is suspended, that Tanev will get any more than 1 or 2 games. More likely, we see the Department of Player Safety issue a fine for, or nothing at all. Still, as we've seen in the past, Player Safety likes to make an example of the Maple Leafs, so we'll have to wait and see what comes of this situation.
