Detroit Red Wings forward Brendan Smith was shaken up late in the second period of Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers after he was on the receiving end of a hit to the head from Brayden Schenn.
It all happened just inside of the Red Wings’ blue line as Smith was positioning himself to make a play on the puck. As the puck floated toward him, Schenn came across the blue line and caught him with a high hit as he jumped in front of the Red Wings’ defenseman.
There was no penalty called on the play. Smith was shaken up after the hit and did not return for the remainder of the second period but did return for the start of the third period.
Whether it was a deliberate attempt on Schenn’s part, or it was just an unfortunate collision as Schenn was attempting to jump out of the way to avoid running into him there was clearly direct contact with Smith’s head. That means it is almost certainly going to at least get a closer look by the NHL’s department of player safety. Whether it results in any form of discipline remains to be seen.