In Game 6 of the Rangers Senators game Saturday night Chris Neil lined up Brian Boyle and drilled him, dropping Boyle to the ice and eventually knocking him out of the game. Boyle left the game after three more shifts and was diagnosed with a concussion, and is out for the series. The NHL has decided not to discipline Neil at all for his hit on Boyle. Boyle dumped the puck into the zone and two seconds later Neil hit him high on the shoulder and eventually made contact with Boyle's head. The fact that Neil did not receive a penalty and that the NHL decided not to discipline Neil in any way is more inconsistency from the NHL players safety. Neil lined Boyle from 20 plus feet away and easily could have continued playing hockey after Boyle dumped the puck in, but no, Neil had to go high on Boyle and drop him hard to the ice. Earlier in the game Mike Rupp was called for charging when he hit one of the Senators into the boards at center ice. Rupp did not speed up going into the hit, he was gliding and laid a good hit on the guy, and that was called charging.
It's a poor decision by Shanahan and the NHL to not discipline Neil even with a fine, but then again you can be a goon and can assault someone on the ice and receive a one game suspension, but if you hit someone up high and get your elbow up on the man, (a first time offense of any kind, but deserved discipline) you will get a three game suspension. I don't want to hear about if the injured player is out for the next couple games, and that is why Hagelin got 3 games. I have news for the NHL, Boyle is out for the rest of the series, and probably longer with a concussion. The NHL should go back and watch the WHOLE video again and watch how Neil lined Boyle up from a ways away.
The Rangers need to win tonight to force a Game 7 Thursday night at the Garden.
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