Tuesday’s Tampa Bay Lightning - Washington Capitals game might be defined as much by its big mistakes as it will be by great feats (such as Alex Ovechkin’s hat trick).
Braden Holtby and Mike Green may take much of the blame for Washington’s early 3-0 deficit, but Richard Panik’s boarding major on Karl Alzner hurt the Lightning badly, too.
Here’s a GIF of the hit via SBNation (video coming soon):
Ovechkin scored two goals on the ensuing power play, helping the Capitals to temporarily tie the game up. Panik doesn’t have a suspension history in the NHL, but this is just his 52nd regular season contest.