The New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins kicked off their first-round matchup tonight at Madison Square Garden.
New York is up 1-0 after the first period, but the most excitement came from a massive hit from Rangers' defenseman Ryan Lindgren on Penguins' forward Rickard Rakell.
Here's the hit:
The hit was initially called a major by the referees for an illegal check to the head but was downgraded to a roughing minor upon review. Rakell was helped off the ice as he looked very dazed going down the tunnel.
Check out another angle of the hit:
Lindgren was originally picked by the Boston Bruins in the second round (49th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He was part of the trade with the New York Rangers that sent Rick Nash to the Bruins.
