In the Stanley Cup finals, the Florida Panthers seized a decisive 2-0 series lead last night. Teams who take this lead in the past 90% of the time go on to win the series. As the game progressed, tensions between the two sides increased, which was exemplified by an incident in which Evan Bouchard was placed in a rear naked choke by Panthers defender Aaron Ekblad.
Bouchard was spotted tapping out as Ekblad applied the hold. Ekblad applied the move and did not immediately relinquish the hold. He eventually freed Bouchard without any problems, but as many have pointed out, this was a very risky play.
Although it's unclear if the NHL Department of Player Safety will examine this play, it's very likely that the organization believes it warrants more punishment. This might very well set the tone for the rest of the series, so it will be interesting to see how the league responds.
