NHL analyst drops hot take on Sam Bennett's controversial hit which landed Anthony Stolarz in the hospital

NHL insider Craig Button shared his thoughts on Sam Bennett’s hit that injured Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 on Monday. Stolarz left in the second period at 10:14 after Bennett’s arm hit his head during a scramble. Earlier, he was hit high by a shot from Sam Reinhart. After the hit from Bennett, Stolarz was seen throwing up on the bench.

The Leafs then replaced Stolarz with Joseph Woll, and he left for the hospital for medical help, as reported by Insider Elliotte Friedman.

Stolarz had started every game this postseason and played well against the Ottawa Senators, helping the Leafs secure a 4-2 series win. If he is out, it could affect Toronto’s chances.

TSN’s Director of Scouting, Button, said Bennett plays hard and sometimes crosses the line. However, Button believes the play was not dirty and called it a hockey play, saying he didn’t see an elbow or force to the head.

"Sam Bennett takes no prisoners when he’s playing the game, and he’s going to play it hard," Button said. "He might even go across the line. This, to me, number one, is a hockey play... I don’t see any elbow. I see kind of a rub in there."

According to Button, there’s no reason for the NHL to give extra discipline.

"There doesn’t look to me to be like any force on Anthony Stolarz’s head there. And certainly, he has become enemy number one, number two, number three right now after that play with Anthony Stolarz. There’s no doubt about it."

Stolarz is still being evaluated, and his return could help, but the Leafs trust Woll to perform. Game 2 is set for Wednesday in Toronto, and the next few games will show us if Toronto can handle the pressure and stay in the series.

This season, the Leafs are more physical and have better depth compared to previous seasons. They have a new head coach in Craig Berube, who has won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues.

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NHL insider discussed league's potential review of Anthony Stolarz's injury

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun tweeted on Monday that Player Safety is discussing the Bennett-Stolarz play. He added that it's unclear if they think it deserves further action.

"NHL Player Safety looks at everything and so yes of course they are having a conversation internally about Bennett/Stolarz. But not clear at this point whether Player Safety thinks it warrants anything or not," LeBrun wrote.

Meanwhile, Joseph Woll expressed concern about Anthony Stolarz’s injury after Game 1. He played 29:46 minutes, starting the second period, and made 17 saves out of 20 shots.

"You kind of feel a mix of things, between concern for him and getting ready to play yourself," Woll said, via NHL.com "I mean, when you see your teammate go down like that, I mean, it’s not good when you see him go down on the ice. Or when he’s not feeling good coming to the bench."

Joseph Woll is 27-14-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 42 regular-season games.