Although Oilers coach Tom Renney initially felt Cory Sarich’s hit on Taylor Hall during Friday’s game was clean, he started to have second thoughts on Sunday.
“The check was going to get finished no matter what,” Renney said. “One thing I forgot to check and see was whether they had a high reload to protect the pinch. If they didn’t then it kind of makes you wonder what the intent was there.”
Hall lost his footing prior to the hit, which is why his head was at the same level as Sarich’s elbow. That’s pretty much the argument for it being a clean hit, but now Renney seems to be wondering if it was really an unfortunate accident or if Sarich took advantage of the situation. Here’s the hit again so you make your own call:
The good news is that Hall wasn’t dealing with post-concussion symptoms on Sunday, although the Oilers intend to follow the concussion protocol with him. After all, they don’t want to take any chances with the health of one of their rising stars.