Panarin hit Ovechkin’s friend hard and went unpunished. The American was unable to get up from the ice

There is no room for sentimentality in the Stanley Cup playoffs; hockey players fight for victory, not sparing themselves or their opponents. So Russian hockey player Artemy Panarin, in the most important game against Washington, powerfully pinned his opponent at the decisive moment, for which he was sharply criticized by the fans.

“He’s like a brother to me”

The confrontation between the Rangers and Washington in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs is of great interest to the Russian audience. The rivalry between Panarin and Ovechkin looked exciting on paper, but so far our superstars have shown themselves to be very modest.

So in the second match, which took place in New York, both Russian players were left without points, despite the fact that the teams scored seven goals between them. However, Artemy still made everyone talk about himself because of the resonant episode at the end of the game.

In the middle of the third period, Khlebushek performed a powerful power move on Ovechkin’s friend TJ Oshie. The American has repeatedly admitted that he and the Capitals’ number eight are very close, as they have been playing together since 2015.

– I love this guy very much. Now he’s like a brother to me, after everything we’ve been through,” RMNB quoted Osha as saying.

Crime without punishment

The reason for this behavior of the Russian was probably the provocations of the capital’s number 77 during the game. After contact, TJ fell dangerously. A fight immediately broke out. His teammates rushed to the American’s defense. Canadian Connor McMichael immediately attacked Panarin. Later, other players joined the fight, but the referees stopped the massacre in time.

During the showdown, Oshie could not get up on his own; he needed the help of coach Jason Serbus, who helped the forward leave the ice. After this, the American went to the tribune room for examination.

The referees calmed down the heated hockey players and went to watch the video replay. It seemed that Artemy could not escape punishment, but the judges did not see any violation in the Russian’s actions, since they believed that he did not want to hit him in the head. The American just leaned over a lot.

But McMichael went to the penalty box for attacking a Russian. The removal at the most crucial moment prevented Washington from winning back. The meeting ended in the defeat of the capital with a score of 4:3.

“Panarin will get what he deserves”

It is important to understand that Panarin did not injure Oshie. The American returned to the Washington bench shortly after the examination, and even spent several shifts. But this fact did not calm the angry Capitals fans and Panarin’s spiteful critics. They wrote a lot of negative comments on social networks.

“I cried for five minutes because he deliberately hit Osha in the head. Panarin saw everything perfectly and did it deliberately, wrote @T8Salt.

– I’m still furious. If Tom Wilson hits someone the way Panarin hit Oshie, he will at least serve a large fine, but most likely face a disqualification,” @just_stone said indignantly.

“It’s impossible that Artemi Panarin could knock out Oshie like that without touching his head.” But keep the same attitude when Panarin gets what he deserves in Washington in the next two games, @corndoger34 asked Rangers fans.

– If it is some other player, then he will be disqualified. There should be at least a two-minute penalty,” said former hockey player Peekay Subban.

However, Panarin also had defenders. Fans of the talent and others also wrote many comments.

“I hate Panarin, but this is a clean hit and Oshie was asking for it all game,” wrote Toronto fan @DilbertHutch.

“It was a clean blow, and Oshie got a taste of his own medicine,” hinted at the provocations of the American @goodie2388.

— Panarin’s strike was clean and beautiful. Cry! – @stop_burn addressed Washington fans.

— Caps fans are acting like Panarin hit a defenseless Oshie from behind, then grabbed him by the hair and threw him to the ice, repeatedly slamming his head into the ground. This is just crazy,” said @hyedolz.

The series moves to Washington, where Panarin may well be hunted, since the Capitals have enough tough hockey players. But this is the playoffs, and this happens all the time, which makes it even more interesting to wait for the third game of the series.

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