Ryan Reaves is starting to get comfortable as a Wild, and last night was probably his busiest since joining the team from New York Rangers.
Reaves was at the center of attention all night against the Detroit Red Wings and got things going with just three minutes on the clock in the first period.
Red Wings’ defenseman Filip Hronek carried the puck out of his own zone, and he had absolutely no idea what was coming up ahead. Approaching was a 6-foot-1, 225-pound winger named Ryan Reaves, and he didn’t hold back one bit.
The hit was one of the hardest this season, and Hronek didn’t stand a chance. Hronek immediately held his hands to his face and had trouble getting up from the ice. Eventually, he could skate off with the help of some of his teammates.
On social media, opinions are divided whether it was a legal hit or not. Reaves wasn’t assessed a penalty for it, and many claims that’s exactly how it should be. Many, however, suggest that it was a dangerous play and that Hronek could’ve got seriously hurt.
Hronek didn’t return to the contest, but Reaves was far from finished. In the second frame, he hit Gustav Lindstrom into the boards in the corner, and Ben Chiarot decided to take action.
After first bodying down Hronek and then Gustav Lindstrom, he had enough of Reaves, and they squared off in a short fight.
They both got assessed five minutes major, and on his way to the penalty box, Ryan Reaves decided to flex his biceps, and the crowd at the Xcel Energy Center went absolutely wild.
