The Washington Capitals got just 89 seconds into the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs before taking a significant blow to their lineup, when an unsuspecting Nicklas Backstrom was knocked to the ice by New York Islanders captain Anders Lee.
Backstrom, who was positioned near the benches and the blueline, flipped the puck towards the corner. Afterward, Lee came barreling in shoulder first and smashed Backstrom, who had his head turned away from Lee, backward onto the ice.
“It was a late hit on an unexpected player that was in a spot where he was extremely vulnerable,” Capitals head coach Todd Reirden told reporters after the game.