Rasmus Ristolainen flattened Sidney Crosby Wednesday night, and the Philadelphia Flyers paid for it on the very same possession.
The 31-year-old Finn lined up the Penguins' franchise center in the Flyers' defensive zone during the first period of the season opener.
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Crosby went down. Pittsburgh never gave up the puck.
Nick Robertson got a piece of it, and the deflection dropped Philadelphia into a 1-0 hole.
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That's a bad exchange for the Flyers, and it isn't close. Nobody hands out style points for a big hit when the other bench is celebrating on the same sequence.
Think of it like slamming the front door on a salesman while his partner strolls in through the garage. Loud, satisfying, and completely pointless.
Ristolainen finished last season at plus-10, a rare positive number for a blueliner who once went minus-41 in Buffalo.
Nick Robertson cashes in on his first night with the Penguins
Robertson scored 16 goals for Toronto last season. He also went minus-13, a number that was begging for a change of scenery.
Kyle Dubas has him at a $3,250,000 cap hit through 2027-28. Opening-night goals make that number look a lot smarter.
Crosby turned 39 in August and still put up 74 points last season. Father Time keeps knocking, and he keeps not answering.
He's also skating on an $8,700,000 deal that expires after this season. Every time he goes down, Dan Muse's bench is going to hold its breath.
Ristolainen is in a contract year of his own, carrying a $5,100,000 cap hit that runs out after 2026-27.
Hits like that help a free-agent pitch, right up until the other team scores off the aftermath.
Rick Tocchet won't need long in the video room to find this one, and the collision won't be the part he rewinds.
And there's no time to stew. Philadelphia heads to New Jersey on Thursday for the back half of a back-to-back.
The Flyers walked into opening night off a 5-1 home loss to Washington on Saturday. Is anyone in that locker room feeling settled yet?
Pittsburgh came in off a 3-1 win in Buffalo, and Montreal visits for the home opener on Saturday.
These teams meet three more times, starting January 31 in Pittsburgh. Ristolainen will have plenty of chances to go looking for Crosby again, and the Penguins just showed him what happens when he does.
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Was Rasmus Ristolainen's hit on Sidney Crosby worth giving up the opening goal?
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