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NHL fans on social media were furious about Leon Draisaitl's high elbow hit on Aleksander Barkov during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final between the Oilers and Panthers on Monday. The incident unfolded at 10:23 of the third period after Aleksander Barkov took Leon Draisaitl's right elbow directly to the jaw.
Barkov exited Game 2 early after clocking 17:37 minutes. Here's the video of the hit from Draisaitl:
Consequently, Draisaitl was hit with a two-minute minor penalty for roughing as a result of the play. The Panthers capitalized on the powerplay, with Evan Rodrigues scoring his second of the night to put the home team 2-0 up.
Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their views on the play, with many calling it a dirty hit from Draisaitl, while some demanded a suspension.
"Leon Draisaitl: disgustingly dirty player"
Another fan chimed in and demanded a suspension for Leon Draisaitl, tweeting:
"Suspension needed"
"Have to get dirty when they’re losing," one opined.
"Surprised they didn’t at least look at it for 5," one X user wrote.
Here are some of the other top reactions on X:
"This is exactly what Bennett did to Broberg(?) earlier. Panthers get calls no other team gets. I wonder if there has ever been a playoffs run where you can as easily tell the league wants 1 team to win," posted another fan.
"Asked this question I've asked multiple times this playoff. Rule states it's charging if you lunge upward with contact tothe head or if you leave your skates in the process to make a hit. Every time it has not been called as per what rules state. So what the point of the rule?" another wrote.
"Should have been a five minute penalty, FLA got the job done in two minutes and now up 4-1 it's the Panther's Cup to lose going up 2-0 in the series," one X user commented.
Leon Draisaitl's teammate Evan Bouchard taps out
There was a notable moment in the matchup when Aaron Ekbald put Evan Bouchard in a standing rear-naked choke, causing the Oilers defenseman to choke, but no call was made on the play by officials.
Earlier in the first period, the Oilers' momentum drifted away after forward Warren Foegel had received a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty for kneeling against Eutu Luostarinen.
The Edmonton Oilers lost Game 2 4-1 on Monday. The Panthers displayed yet another dominant performance at home, putting them just two games away from clinching their first Stanley Cup championship.
Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers, meanwhile, head back to Edmonton to host the Panthers in Game 3 on Thursday.
