Colorado Avalanche: Ryan Johansen with Dangerous Hit to Tyson Barrie

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie suffered a very questionable hit by Ryan Johansen. Will the DoPS look at the hit for supplemental discipline?

As the Twitter-folk say, it wouldn’t be a Colorado Avalanche playoff series without a questionable hit on Tyson Barrie. There was that damnable knee-on-knee by everyone’s least favorite scum, Matt Cooke. And now Predators forward Ryan Johansen has joined the trend.

The Colorado Avalanche lost to the Nashville Predators last night 5-2. The hit on Barrie really didn’t affect the outcome, but it clearly did affect Barrie.

The hit occurred just beyond the midway point of the game with the score tied at 2-2. Tyson Barrie, pinching in as his wont, gets a shot off on Nashville goalie Pekke Rinne. As he follows through on the shot, Johansen skates up on Barrie. He gets Tyson in his peripheral vision and elbows the defenseman right in the head:

That’s brutal. That elbow to Barrie’s head sends him into a pinwheel. In other words, it wasn’t a slight grazing — that was a powerful elbow punch.

Here are a couple more angles (shout out to Nathan Rudolph of Burgundy Rainbow):

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In that third video, you can see Barrie on the bench trying to shake the hit off. While he did disappear to the dressing room for a short period, I do not believe he underwent the concussion protocol.

I hope that means he’s legitimately ok and not just good at faking it. I may love to rag on old Swiss Cheese, but I genuinely want to see him stay happy and healthy.

In any case, Johansen was not called for a penalty in the game. But that begs the question — will the Department of Player Safety look into the hit. They’re supposed to be all about ending hits to the head. There’s no question this was a hit to the head.

And it looked pretty darn deliberate. I mean, old RyJo extends his elbow right at Barrie’s kisser.

Earlier yesterday, another player, Nazem Kadri, got more… creative with his hit to the head:

That’s a Joe Thornton-style butt check to the head. While Thornton didn’t receive any supplemental discipline, Kadri will have a hearing today for “boarding/charging.”

Already we’ve seen a player suspended for a hit to the head. LA Kings goon defenseman received one game for hitting William Carrier in the head:

Do I think old RyJo will face supplemental discipline? No. The only constant about the DoPS is they’re inconsistent.

That said, the Colorado Avalanche players did take things into their own hands. They went all Nolan Arenado on Ryan Johansen at the end of the game:

Fun fact: That’s former Predator Colin Wilson threatening a beat down on old RyJo, his one-time teammate.

In any case, in less than 48 hours after this melee, the two teams will meet again for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I’m guessing Ryan Johansen will be present, with no thought of supplemental discipline even entering the Department of Player “Safety’s” head.

Next: Factors to the Avs Making the Playoffs

Ah, well, we all knew they were a sham organization. The Colorado Avalanche — and Nikita Zadorov — will have to take care of business without their help.