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Raffi Torres added to his notorious reputation last night with a hit on Jarret Stoll in the second period. Torres was assessed a charging penalty; Stoll left the game and did not return.
There's a lot of debate about whether Torres was intentionally targeting Stoll's head or not, and also whether he made contact shoulder-first. The most commonly shown footage from NBC doesn't give a good view of it.
Here's the hit seen from the reverse angle as well (while Ken Daneyko is energetically defending it). From this view, it appears more like shoulder-to-head contact.
Here's the hit again from NBC's angle, with slow motion added:
What do you think? Is this hit suspension worthy? Where will the Wheel of Justice land?
I have to admit, I've viewed the recent flurry of stories on Torres' so-called miraculous reform with a great deal of skepticism. His track record of suspensions stems from questionable judgment at best. This is right on the borderline, and might have gotten a pass from another player -- but will his reputation influence Shanahan?
It may depend on Stoll's health status. It doesn't look good right now--Sutter would only say that he missed the rest of the game and they "weren't resting him"--but we must wait to see if he's injured. Stoll has had a concussion before.
One thing for sure -- Dean Lombardi was none too pleased to lose his third line center. Let's hope he's okay.