Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin briefly exited Tuesday night's Stanley Cup playoff game against the Islanders following a massive open-ice body check from Thomas Hickey.
Unlike a recent string of violent, late hits across the playoffs that have drawn fines and suspensions, Hickey's check seemed to be a clean play.
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The hit occurred with 14:22 to play in the second period as Drouin attempted to skate the puck into the offensive zone. As he crossed the blue line, Hickey met Drouin with a wallop that sent him backward onto the ice. Hickey did not appear to leave his feet nor did he seem to target Drouin's head.
No penalties were called on the play, and Drouin skated to the bench under his own power. He missed the rest of the second period but returned in the third in time to assist on Nikita Kucherov's game-tying goal with 38 seconds to play.
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Drouin, the third overall pick in the 2013 draft, has finally started to settle in with the Lightning in the playoffs, tallying seven points in seven games. His emergence offensively has been critical in the absence of Lightning captain Steven Stamkos.
Hickey's hit follows a series of controversial plays in the Eastern Conference series between the Capitals and Penguins, in which Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang both are serving suspensions for late, high hits.
It's unclear whether Hickey's body check will warrant any discipline from the league.
