Last night, in a 3-2 OT loss to the Washington Capitals in Game 3 of their 2nd round playoff series, Sidney Crosby left the game with an injury and did not return.
Driving to the net early in the first period, he was the recipient of a vicious cross-check to the neck and head area from Matt Niskanen, who received a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.
We’ve got a lot to unpack here. Crosby took maybe four good shots in a timeframe of as many seconds. His foot kicked out from behind by Alex Ovechkin, some stick work slashing immediately afterwards, and then the cross-check from Niskanen, all the while his leg was all tangled up underneath him.