First match penalty of the season is brutal to watch

Minnesota Wild forward Tyler Pitlick smoked Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield, and ended up with the first match penalty of the season, for an illegal check to the head. Chatfield, unfortunately, took a long time to get up off the ice and went down the tunnel immediately.

Upon impact, Chatfield’s head and helmet went flying, and as he went down to the ice, his face collided with Yakov Trenin’s knee, which probably did not help all the risks of concussion involved in this brutal sequence.

Canes captain Jordan Staal grabbed Pitlick in defense of his teammate, but received 17 penalty minutes, including two for instigating and a misconduct.

It was later confirmed by the Hurrcianes that Chatfield would not return because of an upper body injury. After the game, which Carolina won 4-3, head coach Rod Brind’Amour commented on the hit and potential long absence for Chatfield, calling it a “tough hit.”

This is a significant blow for the Hurricanes, who have been banged up on the blue line since the start of the season.

In the meantime, we await for the league’s decision on a hearing for Pitlick, which could result in a lenghty suspension.