In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers was given a roughing minor penalty for his hit on Aleksander Barkov from the Florida Panthers. The hit left Barkov uncertain about his ability to continue playing in the series, but Draisaitl did not face any additional punishment from the NHL Department of Player Safety. Meanwhile, Sam Carrick of the Oilers was fined for slashing Panthers’ defenseman Dmitry Kulikov during the same game.
The hit on Barkov happened in the third period and forced him to leave the game without returning. Draisaitl defended himself by stating that he did not intend to hurt Barkov and believed that the hit was clean. The Department of Player Safety agreed, stating that Draisaitl’s hit was not predatory and had no intent to harm.
Florida Panthers’ head coach Paul Maurice provided an update on Barkov’s condition, stating that he was feeling better than expected. However, he will still be evaluated before Game 3 of the series, which will take place in Edmonton. Despite missing only nine regular-season games, Barkov has been crucial for the Panthers in the postseason, where he has scored six goals and 19 points in 19 games.
