It took less than half a period for Warren Foegele's night to end on Monday.
The Oilers forward was ejected just 9:21 into Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final after a dangerous hit on Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen. It forces Edmonton to play the rest of the contest down a player in the forward group.
Foegele was a staple in the Edmonton lineup for the entire regular season and to start the playoffs. However, a couple of bad games in the Western Conference Final resulted in the winger finding himself a healthy scratch for the past three games of the Oilers-Stars series. He returned to the lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, a 3-0 win for the Panthers, and was back for Game 2 before the early exit.
Foegele has a goal and two assists in 16 playoff games this postseason.
Here's more on the Foegele ejection and the latest updates on Luostarinen's injury.
MORE: Follow live updates of Oilers vs. Panthers Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final
Why was Warren Foegele ejected?
At the 9:21 mark of the first period, Foegele stepped up and attempted to lay a hit on Luostarinen in the Edmonton zone. However, the contact was not made with the shoulder but rather with his outstretched leg. His knee connected with Luostarinen's lower extremity, causing the Florida forward to crumple to the ice.
Really ugly leg-on-leg contact between Warren Foegele and Eetu Luostarinen#LetsGoOilers | #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/46pc9GxlS1
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) June 11, 2024
The officials initially called the play a five-minute major, but they would go to review the play. The video confirmed the call on the ice. Foegele was hit with a five-minute major and a game misconduct for kneeing, ending his Game 2 incredibly early.
The Oilers managed to kill off the five-minute power play for the Panthers. Florida defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson took a penalty early in the man advantage, resulting in two minutes of 4-on-4 play.
During that time, Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm opened the scoring 11:17 into the game with a goal on the odd-man rush before the Oilers killed off the rest of the power play.
MORE: When was the last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup?
Eetu Luostarinen injury update
Following the hit, Luostarinen received attention from the Panthers training staff and eventually was helped off the ice. He was unable to put all of his weight on his left leg and went down to the locker room for further evaluation.
Luostarinen eventually returned with about two minutes left in the first period.
There is a history of lower-body injuries with Luostarinen. The Finnish forward was unavailable for last year's Stanley Cup Final after breaking his fibula in the Eastern Conference Finals.
