A hit by Washington Capitals defenceman Jakob Chychrun on Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins was determined not to be a penalty after review.
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Washington Capitals defenceman Jakob Chychrun’s hit on Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins late in Tuesday night’s game was reviewed by officials and determined to be clean after an on-ice call was assessed and then removed.
With three minutes left in regulation, Chychrun lowered his left shoulder into the chest of Cousins after forcing a pass, and Cousins’ head then hit the glass and the ice. Cousins was helped off the ice, did not return, and coach Travis Green said afterward that Cousins was “not doing great” but “did not go to the hospital.”
On the play, referees Brandon Blandina and Beau Halkidis initially called a 5-minute major penalty, which allowed them to review video replays of the hit that had first been thought to include contact with the head.
Green told reporters he was “a little surprised about the call,” saying, “I thought it was a head shot to a player that wasn’t ready for it. They must have saw it differently.”
Because the review determined the play did not include head contact, the penalty was taken off the board completely.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety monitors situations like this for potential supplemental discipline, including plays that are reviewed even when no penalty is assessed or when the penalty is removed after review.
The Capitals won the game 3-2 in overtime.
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