Zach Hyman went down easy Thursday night, and the Oilers forward's wink afterward has Hurricanes fans steaming this morning.
Sean Walker gave the Edmonton winger a light tap. What followed was a long, pained slide across the ice, and the Carolina defenseman headed to the box.
Then came the part that went viral. Once the call was made, the 34-year-old looked up at a teammate, cracked a grin and winked.
The clip freezes on that face. Helmet tilted, eyes squinting, a smile that tells you everything you need to know about how much that fall actually hurt.
Picture a toddler who trips in the grocery store, checks whether a parent is watching, and only then decides to cry. Same energy.
Walker finished with 4 penalty minutes on the night. The blueliner still logged 23:46 and fired 5 shots on goal, so Carolina kept leaning on him regardless.
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Oilers power play makes Carolina pay in a 6-5 shootout win
Edmonton's power play is why any trip to the box against this group stings. Leon Draisaitl scored twice with the man advantage, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added another.
Every penalty against that unit is a coin flip with loaded odds. Carolina's bench learned that lesson the hard way.
Connor McDavid piled up 2 goals and 3 assists in 25:02 of ice time. Draisaitl matched him with five points, pushing his season total to 10 goals in 10 games.
And Hyman? Held off the scoresheet, with 2 shots in 20:31.
He has dressed in only four of Edmonton's 10 games, with one power-play goal to show for it. At a $5,500,000 cap hit, that's a thin return so far.
The wink was a bad look. A dumb one, too, because officials have long memories.
A veteran who's built his reputation in the crease doesn't need to give referees an excuse to swallow the whistle the next time he gets crosschecked there.
Devon Levi stopped 22 shots and closed the door in the shootout. The Oilers are now 8-1-1 and riding a three-game winning streak.
Carolina still sits atop the league with 18 points. Seth Jarvis scoring in his season debut gave the Hurricanes something to feel good about on the flight out.
Mike Babcock's group hosts the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Rod Brind'Amour's Hurricanes head to St. Louis the same night.
The rematch lands November 21 in Carolina. Somebody on that blue line will remember the wink, and the officials working that game might too.
Should the NHL fine Zach Hyman for embellishment after winking at his teammate once Sean Walker got called?
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