Nikita Kucherov won't face discipline for his high hit on Sami Vatanen during Wednesday's Game 4 win over the Devils.
The Lightning star, minutes after potting the go-ahead goal midway through the first period, delivered a suspicious blow above the shoulders of Vatanen, sending the New Jersey defenseman flying to the ice and then the locker room. He reportedly did not receive a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Thursday, escaping supplemental punishment.
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Sami Vatanen headed to the locker room after this hit from Nikita Kucherov. pic.twitter.com/tw3Bap5zHK
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) April 19, 2018
Kucherov wasn't penalized on the play, but he appeared to leave his feet to launch himself into Vatanen, which drew scrutiny from onlookers. It wasn't clear whether his shoulder made contact with Vatanen's head. Critics of the hit cited a precedent set by the one-game suspension given to Kings defenseman Drew Doughty for a similar hit last week on the Golden Knights' William Carrier as the reason Kucherov should sit out a game.
Vatanen did not return to the game. He's considered day to day with an upper-body injury, Devils coach John Hynes said.
It's unclear whether Vatanen will travel with the team to Tampa.
#TBLightning coach Jon Cooper on Kucherov hit "it was a heckuva' hockey hit...to me it was a good hit"
— Jim Cerny (@JimCerny) April 19, 2018
In the aftermath of the hit, the teams played out a chippy first period that saw several scrums. Lightning forward Alex Killorn went to the box for boarding Ben Lovejoy, drawing the first. Then, with 42 seconds remaining, a retribution-seeking Brian Boyle took a run at Kucherov, prompting a scuffle that put the Lightning on a power play with a 2-1 lead.
Killorn's called for this hit on Lovejoy. #GoBolts and #NJDevils continuing where they left off last game pic.twitter.com/Y3NkKGdHOz
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 19, 2018
Hit during play that sparked this pic.twitter.com/vli10AUkDg
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 19, 2018
Already in these playoffs, the NHL has issued three suspensions for questionable hits to Doughty, Toronto's Nazem Kadri (three games) and Winnipeg's Josh Morrissey, whose one-game ban was announced shortly before the puck dropped on Lightning-Devils. A suspension for Kucherov, a presumptive Hart Trophy finalist, would have been a major, if unexpected, statement from the league, which has come under fire for a perceived lack of consistency handing out supplemental discipline.
Kucherov finished the game with three points, including the empty-netter that iced it, and is tied for the playoff scoring lead (nine).
Tampa Bay holds a three-games-to-one lead.
