Senators furious after Hall's 'blatant' hit to Sanderson's head

Ottawa Senators coach Travis Green said it was "ridiculous" there wasn't a video review on Carolina Hurricanes forward Taylor Hall's hit to the head of defenseman Jake Sanderson, which Green said forced his top blueliner out of their Game 3 loss Thursday night.

The Hurricanes defeated the Senators 2-1 to take a 3-0 lead in their first-round series. Sanderson, who was Ottawa's leading scorer among defensemen in the regular season with 54 points in 67 games, was limited to 13:19 on Thursday because of an injury.

In the second period, Sanderson played the puck behind the Ottawa net. Hall arrived on the forecheck and delivered a hit in which his shoulder connected with Sanderson's head, popping the defenseman's helmet off. Hall was given a two-minute penalty for an illegal check to the head with 15:36 left in the period.

"It's a blatant hit to the head, the kind of hit you don't want to see," Green said. "It's ridiculous there wasn't a review. I just don't understand how there's not a five-minute major called on the hit to the head."

One reason there wasn't a major called on the play: The rules won't allow it.

By NHL rules, the referees can either give a player a minor penalty or a match penalty for an illegal check to the head, not a major. A match penalty involves a game misconduct for a player who "deliberately attempts to injure or who deliberately injures an opponent in any manner" on the play. Sanderson remained in the game after Hall's hit until he took his last shift of the game with 9:53 remaining in the second period.

According to ESPN rules analyst Dave Jackson, the referees could have called a match penalty to review the hit if they were "unsure" on the play. If they did review it, Jackson said, "I'm pretty sure they would have come out of it with two [minutes]."

Sanderson also appeared to block a shot with his hand during the second period, but Green was emphatic after the game that it was Hall's hit and not a hand injury that cost his best defenseman the rest of a critical game.

"It's pretty obvious why he left the game," Green said.

Green said he would be "shocked" if the NHL Department of Player Safety didn't review Hall's hit and get "something done" about it.

Ottawa will try to avoid the sweep on Saturday afternoon at home against Carolina.

"It's pretty frustrating, but we've gotta find a way," Senators captain Brady Tkachuksaid. "We haven't quit all season,"