Bone-crunching hits in the NHL are happening less and less often. The game is relying more and more on speed, decreasing the physical aspect of the game. For those that love the physicality, plays like Dmitry Kulikov’s hit on Jakub Voracek are a reminder of a soon to be bygone era.
The hit was about as standard as they come. Scott Stevens-esque in its brutality. The helmet flying off was like a moment from a video game too. It also wasn’t a headshot by any stretch either. Voracek was able to skate off under his own strength which is an encouraging sign from a player safety perspective as you want the best players playing regardless of the hits.
The Flyers ended up using this moment as a rallying cry as they came back and beat the Sabres in overtime 4-3.
