Ryan Reaves Ejected For Hit on Matt Tennyson

St. Louis Blues forward Ryan Reaves finished his evening early in the first period Monday. He was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct for boarding San Jose Sharks defenseman Matt Tennyson.

Reaves hit Tennyson hard from behind, sending Tennyson head-first into the boards behind his own net. He was knocked out by the impact of going into the glass. As he falls to the ice, it’s clear he’s out.

It was a scary hit that saw Tennyson apparently unconscious on the ice for a short period of time before he skated off under his own power with help from the Sharks training staff. The Sharks did not offer any update on his status before the end of the first period, but it’s very doubtful that he’ll be on the ice again Monday.

There’s a good chance that Reaves gets a call from the Department of Player Safety on this one. It doesn’t look malicious, but it could certainly be called reckless. Tennyson had his back to the coming forecheck, but Reaves put his shoulder right in the middle of Tennyson’s numbers.

On the ensuing five-minute power play the Sharks scored twice.

You can watch the hit below. Though, be warned, it’s a tough watch.