New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas punched Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad in the groin area Friday during Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.*
The play happened hear the end of the second period with the two teams were engaged in a scrum in front of Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo. It’s unclear what set Cizikas off, but it was enough to hit Ekblad in a sensitive area.
Here's a different angle of the play.*
Cizikas with a strategic punch below the belt pic.twitter.com/ae6Ok43FNmBoth players were holding onto one another as tempers flared around them but they didn’t throw punches until Cizikas’ cheap shot.
— Stephanie (@myregularface) April 16, 2016
Ekblad doubled over in pain for several seconds before jumping back into the scrum. He didn’t leave the game.*The Islanders hold a 1-0 advantage in the series.
This is the second time Cizikas has given a player a shot in that area during the postseason. Last year, he lifted his stick in between the legs of Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson in Game 5 of their first-round series. That didn’t merit any discipline.*
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- - - - - - -Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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