The game between the Florida Panthers and Arizona Coyotes changed drastically in the last minute of the middle frame.
Nick Cousins, who has been involved in several physical incidents this season, was brutally checked into the boards by Jason Zucker. However, it resulted from a collision involving Cousins just moments earlier.
The Coyotes’ Juuso Valimaki had just fallen and was on his knees, with his face looking at the boards.
Cousins then delivered a hit on Valimaki despite him not even standing up. In retaliation, Zucker slammed Cousins along the boards, catching him off guard.
Cousins’ collision with the boards was violent, and he struggled to get up. Cousins only played one more shift, but he didn’t return to the game otherwise.
Jason Zucker was issued a game misconduct for the hit, and immediately after, Gustav Forsling jumped in to fight Zucker.
Florida ended up with a three-minute power play after the hit but didn’t manage to capitalize on the man advantage.
Instead, Arizona scored and tied the game. Florida eventually won the game 4-1, but after the game, all the talk on social media was about Zucker’s hit, but mostly about Cousins’ hit just moments earlier.
Many even claimed that Cousins’ hit was the dirtiest of the two.
”Zucker simply repaid Cousins for his attempted facial reconstruction of Valimaki. Both deserve a review of DPS,” one said.
”Cousins should’ve got the same for the initial hit,” another said.
”That’s my man Jason. This is the game policing itself,” a third added.
”Cousins gets what he’s asking for there. 2 for interference and get him to knock it off with his bulls—t game,” a fourth added.
