Well the worst fear for Florida Panther fans was realized today as it was reported that Aaron Ekblad is going through concussion protocol, retroactive to the hit he received from Edmonton's Matt Hendricks last Sunday.
Apparently this was Edmonton's response to Erik Gudbranson's CLEAN hit on Taylor Hall earlier in the game.
Naturally no penalty was called on an obvious cheap shot from behind. The Panthers are used to a complete lack of respect. It has been hard to keep count of all the blatant high sticks and other cheap shots not called. But this non-call was especially embarrassing for the on-ice officials. It's hard to figure what else Hendricks could have done to get thrown in the sin bin.
Fortunately the Panthers pulled out a 2-1 victory, but then proceeded to lose at Vancouver in overtime then laid an egg in Calgary at the end of a long road trip without their best defenseman on the ice. Ekblad will be out for tomorrow's game at Tampa, as well as a rematch with Edmonton Monday night. His earliest return could be Friday against the Blackhawks.
Ultimately justice prevailed as the NHL suspended Hendricks 3 games for his unacceptable hit and "thumbs up" to the Panther bench while in the penalty box. He was in the box for his subsequent fight with Logan Shaw and not the hit on Ekblad.
Something tells me Shawn Thornton will be in Monday's lineup, which will be Hendrick's first game back from suspension if Oilers head coach Todd McLellan decides to suit him up. The chippy nature of Sunday's game was quite a surprise for two teams that rarely play each other and have no notable rivalry or bad blood between them.
But the Panthers are the hottest team in the league and were vying for their 12th win in a row. Perhaps the message to this perennially underachieving Oilers team was to try to "earn" a victory by trying to beat the Panthers up. It was a valiant effort, and the type of game that fans love. However, no one wants to see anyone get hurt on such a cheap shot under any circumstances.
Monday's affair is sure to be entertaining, and it will be the first time the Panthers have been home since Jan. 3rd. Since attendance and TV ratings have been soaring since the Panthers turned their season around, an otherwise benign game against a Western Conference team on a weeknight will have a little more spice than normal.
Everyone involved should have their big boy pants on, because it should be a good one.
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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