Watch Henrik Lundqvist get absolutely leveled by a dirty hit from Cody Eakin
Henrik Lundqvist returned to the crease for the Rangers on Thursday night after having been a healthy backup for four consecutive games -- the first time in his career that has happened.
He received a pretty rude "Welcome Back" party.
Just nine minutes into the Rangers' game in Dallas, Lundqvist was absolutely leveled by Stars forward Cody Eakin. Lundqvist was handling the puck behind his net and showed some indecisiveness while trying to figure out where to go with it. He possessed the puck for longer than he should have, and it led to Eakin barreling in towards him and delivering a big hit.
Despite Lundqvist's idling, there are plenty of things wrong with Eakin's hit. First and foremost, initiating massive contact on a goalie -- regardless of whether they're outside the crease or taking too long with the puck -- is a big no-go. Second, Eakin's hit probably would have been deemed illegal even if it was on an eligible recipient. He launched into Lundqvist and delivered a headshot.
It's possible that Eakin realized he wasn't going to be able to slam on the brakes and thus tried to squeeze between the goalie and the boards, but honestly it doesn't really matter. Regardless of the intent, it was still an extremely reckless and dangerous play. As a result, Eakin received a five-minute major and a game misconduct. He'll also likely get a call from the league's Department of Player Safety, and it's probably a good bet he'll wind up with a suspension for his troubles.
One thing worth pointing out is that no Rangers players tried to fight Eakin in the immediate aftermath of the dirty hit. They may have a lack of "enforcers" but it's very rare to see a goalie get run that violently with no on-ice justice being served. Even most big, clean hits these days get answered with dropped gloves.
As for Lundqvist, he was pulled from the game to be evaluated but eventually returned. At least Eakin has that going for him.
