Tampa Bay Lightning D Jake Dotchin Speared By Brad Marchand (Video)
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin receives the business end of a spear to the “business” thanks to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been forced to deal with an insane amount of adversity this season; especially when it comes to injuries. In fact, the Lightning was forced to deal with a new injury this afternoon as it was announced forward J.T. Brown would be out of tonight’s battle against the Boston Bruins.
Just when fans think they can sit back and relax for a moment, because surely things can’t get any more complicated than they already are, the Boston Bruins elected to act like, well…the Boston Bruins. This results in a member of the Lightning lineup being in an incredible amount of pain on the ice.
In case you missed the unfortunate interaction as it played out on the ice, allow us to paint a picture for you. We’re warning you, if you’re sensitive to certain injuries, or pretty much any male in the world, you may want to proceed with caution. You have been forewarned.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning was attempting to defend in front of Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy. As Bruins forward David Backes attempts to keep the puck in the zone, Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin and Bruins forward Brad Marchand battle for position in front of Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask.
As the puck sailed wide of the net, Dotchin received a present from Marchand we’re pretty sure he’d like to return. Brad Marchand blatantly took his stick and railed Jake Dotchin in the groin, sending him tumbling to the ice in a heap of humanity. It was pretty clear rather quickly Dotchin was in a lot of pain on the ice.
Coming as no surprise at all, Marchand swings around, observes the carnage, and rejoins the play as if nothing ever happened. It takes a few moments before the play is stopped on the other end of the ice and anyone is able to attend to Dotchin.
Once the play was stopped, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Athletic Trainer Tom Mulligan rushed onto the ice to attend to Dotchin. Eventually, Dotchin would make his way off the ice, but it was obvious he was still in quite a bit of discomfort. Can you blame him? Being railed in the baby maker is never a good time.
The difference between this and most cheap shots the Lightning has been forced to deal with this season is, this time Marchand was actually called to the carpet for his actions. In addition to a five-minute major for Spearing, Marchand was also given a Game Misconduct.
This is not the first time Brad Marchand has been called out for his dirty playing tactics. The 28-year-old Bruins forward has a long history of conversations with the NHL Department of Player Safety for his actions on the ice. Unfortunately, the Lightning didn’t exactly get justice for their last run-in with Brad Marchand.
Back on Jan. 31, Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman was blatantly slew-footed in the middle of the ice by Marchand. Much to the chagrin of Lightning fans all over the Bolts Nation, referee Dan O’Halloran swallowed his whistle and forgot how to call a penalty, despite having everything play out in plain view.
As you can tell by our overwhelming amount of sarcasm, the NHL Department of Player Safety did nothing, despite the incident occurring within days of Marchand being fined for the exact same kind of play. Apparently, patterns mean nothing to a misguided Player Safety Department.
On the bright side, Jake Dotchin was able to make his way back out onto the ice to join his team in the third period. Unfortunately for Dotchin, it wasn’t without more than his fair share of pain and perseverance.
The Tampa Bay Lightning is in desperate need of a win tonight over the Bruins. Unfortunately, at this point in the game, it doesn’t look as if the Lightning is up to the task. In a situation where they should be playing at the peak of desperation, the team has simply fallen flat.
Next: Lightning's Playoff Hopes May Be Out Of Their Hands
Here’s hoping the Lightning can use the third period as a springboard to get back in the game and keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bolts won’t be eliminated with a loss tonight, but it will make their journey to the postseason that much more difficult, putting them on the spot on Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.