As frustrating as Game 3 was for the Philadelphia Flyers against the Carolina Hurricanes, Philly was justified in its reactions.
Late in the second period on Thursday night, Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall landed a massive hit from behind on Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim.
At face value, Hall deserved the heave-ho. He clearly went after Sanheim, who was in a vulnerable position. Even Hall’s reaction immediately after the hit shows just how guilty he felt about the encounter.
Everyone involved was fortunate that Sanheim was fine. That hit could have been a career-ending injury. Luckily, Sanheim popped up and went after revenge. His teammates did the same throughout the remainder of the contest.
However, the on-ice call was an insult to anyone with a brain. Hall got a two-minute minor because it didn’t seem like he was targeting Sanheim. Even the Sportsnet panel covering the game took that position, except for the voice of reason, Kevin Bieksa.
“Emotions are clearly boiling over right now in a very important game for Philadelphia.”
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 8, 2026
The Hockey Central panel breaks down Taylor Hall’s hit on Travis Sanheim. pic.twitter.com/s7DmKbC4gT
The fact is that the on-ice officials missed this call. Hall should have gotten a five-minute major for boarding. As for a match penalty, that should have been part of the calculus. Since Sanheim wasn’t injured, perhaps passing on the match penalty could have been justified.
Still, there was a clear intent to hit Sanheim while he was in a vulnerable position. And it didn’t seem like Hall made that much of an effort to avoid the collision.
Sanheim, Flyers deserve explanation if Hall is not suspended
The NHL must throw the book at Hall. Regardless of what the call was on the ice, the league should review the play and suspend Hall.
If the league chooses not to, it owes Sanheim and the Flyers an explanation at the very least. The NHL must explain why the two-minute minor was justified, and why it chose to pass on a suspension.
Even if the league fined Hall, which it might still do, it wouldn’t do justice for Hall’s intent. The league, which has prided itself on being strict about these things, has to prove it’s serious. If the on-ice official dropped the ball, and they did, that’s another story.
The NHL still has plenty of runway to get this situation right. Suspending Hall for a couple of games would send a message that cheapshots like these are still no bueno in the league.
It remains to be seen if the NHL actually does something about Thursday night’s incident. The league has had a history of hiding from such issues. So, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the NHL try to sweep this situation under the rug.
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