Nick Cousins out a week after Jakob Chychrun hit

With about 3 minutes left in the 3rd period, Cousins took a pass along the boards with his head turned away. Chychrun was already lined up on him.

Chychrun dropped his left shoulder into Cousins' chest. Cousins went into the glass, then face-first onto the ice, and he stayed there. The officials first called a 5-minute major and then reversed it after video review, so no penalty. If you were watching the Caps side of the internet, the reversal was the right call. Chychrun has size on Cousins, Cousins had his head down, and the elbow didn't come up until the follow-through.

Sammi Silber 🏒

@sammisilber

Another look at the Chychrun hit. Shoulder to chest, elbow doesn’t come up until after on the follow through. Chychrun has size on Cousins, whose head is also down in a tough spot. Was reviewed for a major, but deemed clean, and is. Hope Cousins is okay. t.co/KkZS2Ckxad

The Ottawa room wasn't buying the clean-hit read, though nobody went all the way there on the record. After the game Ridly Greig was asked about it and visibly chose his words. Coming from a guy who is no stranger to agitating, that restraint said plenty.

Bruce Garrioch

@SunGarrioch

Ridly Greig on the hit on Cousins by Chychrun: “Yeah, I should be careful what I say. I don’t like seeing that stuff.” #Sens @TSNHockey

Travis Green didn't hold back. He told reporters Cousins was "not doing great" and that he was "a little surprised" by the ruling: "I thought it was a head shot to a player who wasn't ready for it. I guess they saw it differently." Cousins didn't have to go to the hospital, which was about the only good news Ottawa got that night. The Sens also let a lead slip and lost in overtime.

By morning the debate had a second front. Cousins has made a career out of being a pest, and a chunk of the internet treated a guy lying motionless on the ice as payback. Even Montreal voices who know the act well weren't having it.

Eric Engels

@EricEngels

Here’s another seemingly unpopular take, but I hope Nick Cousins is ok. I understand people don’t like the way he plays sometimes, but it’s horrifying to see some people celebrating the sight of him face down on the ice. This isn’t about the hit; the result is terrible. Hope he’s ok.

Then the league weighed in. The Department of Player Safety reportedly decided Chychrun took a good angle, stayed low and drove through the body without reaching for the head, so there's no supplementary discipline. That's why takes calling it a throwback to old-school hockey started showing up. The hit was legal, it was brutal, and both of those things are true. A little later Green put a timeline on it, and he confirmed what everyone already suspected from the replay.

Bruce Garrioch

@SunGarrioch

Nick Cousins is out at least a week to 10 days. Coach Travis Green said the hit from Jakob Chychrun knocked Cousins out briefly. #Sens

A week to 10 days with a guy who got knocked out sounds like a best case, and head injuries don't usually follow the calendar. In the meantime Ottawa is a forward short and has to fill Cousins' bottom-6 minutes and the edge he brings. Watch for whether he's actually skating by the end of next week, and for how the Sens greet Chychrun the next time these 2 teams meet.