Suspension imminent for Nikita Kucherov after hit on Kaiden Guhle?

Unfortunately, a few minutes later, the organization confirmed that number 21 would not return to the game, having sustained an upper body injury. This is particularly concerning given that the defenseman already has a history of concussions, a situation that will need to be monitored in the coming hours.

See the sequence in question, right here:

To the dismay of the fans at the Bell Centre, Nikita Kucherov did not even receive a penalty for this vicious hit, a situation that was denounced by many observers. After all, the defenseman was facing the boards and the point of impact seemed very high, propelling Guhle's head directly against the glass.

Moreover, as Eric Engels of the Sportsnet network rightly points out, the young defenseman of the Canadiens was already facing away from the play, several seconds before the Lightning forward decided to hit him with a check. In the NHL rulebook, this is the very definition of «boarding», which makes the absence of a penalty even more astonishing.

It will be interesting to see if the National League's discipline committee will have a meeting with Nikita Kucherov today, as such an unsportsmanlike act certainly deserves a suspension.

Several players have received suspensions of one or two games for similar checks this season, and we strongly hope that the NHL will not make an exception because number 86 is one of the biggest stars of the NHL.

For sure, we will be on the lookout in the next few hours to see if George Parros decides to sanction Nikita Kucherov, but in our opinion, he fully deserves a one-game suspension for this completely gratuitous and unnecessary act.

This will be a case to watch!

Do you think Nikita Kucherov should be sanctioned for his hit on Kaiden Guhle?

In a new update, it has been revealed that Nikita Kucherov will not be suspended.