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.