Tyler Kleven delivers one of the biggest hits of the season on Alexander Nikishin

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Vincent Carbonneau
April 25, 2026  (6:55 PM)

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Photo credit: Screenshot

Tyler Kleven gave Travis Green and the Senators their loudest moment of the night with a crushing collision on Alexander Nikishin that flipped the whole building.

That was the real flashpoint in Ottawa. Carolina already had control of the game, but the hit changed the temperature right away.

The clip shows Kleven stepping straight through Nikishin near the boards and sending him down hard. Nikishin then needed major help getting off the ice.

That is why the reaction hit so fast. It was not a routine playoff bump or a harmless finish on the wall.

It looked like one of the biggest collisions of the round, the kind that freezes the crowd for a second before the chaos starts. Carolina clearly took exception right away.

And the game context made it even louder. The scoreboard in the clip shows the Hurricanes up 3-0 in the second period, so Ottawa was already looking for a jolt from anywhere.

That is exactly what Kleven gave them. The hit brought edge, noise, and a spark to a game that felt like it was drifting away from the Senators.

Here he is :

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This is why the play is going to live for a while. In a playoff game, a collision like that does more than separate a player from the puck.

It sends a message to both benches. Ottawa was not backing away, and Carolina suddenly had something else to think about besides protecting a lead.

Nikishin's condition is what gives the sequence extra weight. When a player needs real assistance leaving the ice, the conversation goes from big hit to possible discipline watch in a hurry.

From the angle in the clip, it looked devastating, but not cheap in the same way as a late punch or a blindside cheap shot. It looked like Kleven arrived with force and drove through the body.

That does not mean the league ignores it. It does mean the debate will likely center on timing, point of contact, and whether Nikishin was put in a vulnerable spot at the wall.

For Ottawa, the bigger issue is simpler. The Senators needed life, and Kleven gave them the one moment that made the building feel awake again.

For Carolina, the concern is obvious. A key player got steamrolled, the bench got angry, and the game instantly turned nastier.

So yes, this looked like one of the biggest hits we have seen in these playoffs so far. Whether it becomes more than that depends on how the league reads the details after the noise dies down.

Previously

Senators' season ends after controversial Hurricanes goal sparks outrage

Ridly Greig with one of the worst cheap shots you’ll see all year

Noah Dobson update forces a new Canadiens question ahead of Game 4

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