Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas SUCKER PUNCHES New York Islanders’ Brock Nelson moments after being checked into New York’s bench in Friday’s 5-1 loss
- J.G. Pageau checked Martin Necas perfectly into the Islanders bench Friday
- Necas responded by sucker punching Brock Nelson in the face
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A night of frustration for the Carolina Hurricanes boiled over when center Martin Necas was seen punching New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson in the face unprovoked, moments after he was sent into their bench.
Late in the third period, Necas was battling for the puck around center ice as his Hurricanes were down 3-1 in the game.
Challenging him was Islanders center Justin-Gabriel Pageau, who met him with a perfect shoulder check that sent Necas flying over the boards head over heels into the Islanders bench.
After he was able to get onto his feet, Necas then turned, looked at the Islanders bench, and sucker punched Islanders forward Brock Nelson – who was wearing a clear protective mask over his helmet hockey players refer to as a ‘fish bowl’.
Necas lost his stick in the Islanders bench, but left it there and hopped back onto the ice without further incident as New York’s players were left screaming for the referees to call a penalty.
Carolina’s Martin Necas (legs) was checked into the Islanders bench by J.G. Pageau (44)
Necas then sucker punched New York’s Brock Nelson then got back on the ice and kept playing
The Islanders won their first game of the playoffs and are now only behind 2-1 in the series
According to NHL rule 46.15, ‘a match penalty (ejection) shall be assessed to any player who punches an unsuspecting or unwilling opponent (i.e. ‘sucker punch’) and causes an injury.’
But officials on the ice did not call a penalty, and Necas continued to play. He watched on as the Islanders scored an empty net goal and a goal off a deflection to arrive at a 5-1 final score.
With the victory, the Islanders have their first win of the playoffs, bringing it to a 2-1 series.
Nelson’s teammate Kyle Palmieri said that the protective shield on his helmet prevented any serious damage.
‘J.G. made a nice hit on [Necas],’ Palmieri said. ‘He was probably a little upset going into the other team’s bench. It is what it is. It’s an emotional game. Brock’s got a face mask on. I’m sure he’s OK.’
TBS color commentator Keith Jones praised Pageau for the hit, saying it was a clean move and that Necas shouldn’t have a reason to be angry.
‘That’s just a good shoulder too, it’s not like he hit him cheap or anything at all,’ Jones pointed out.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DOPS) has not released a statement regarding a hearing for the incident. When DailyMail.com reached out to the Carolina Hurricanes, they said they had not heard anything from DOPS about a potential hearing.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the NHL, who did not respond to requests for comment.