Ovechkin hit blindsides Legace

Talk about blindside hits. Canes goalie Manny Legace said he has never been hit as hard in a game as when the Caps' Alex Ovechkin crashed into him Thursday night.

With eight minutes left in the second period and the Canes leading 2-1, Legace was positioning himself in the crease for a shot from the slot when Ovechkin swung from behind the net and put his shoulder and elbow into Legace's helmet.

"He hit me hard," Legace said today. "He came in and boom. He's like a freight train.

"I didn't see it, but I felt like he leaned in to hit me. I'd never been hit like that. I've had guys bump into me and try to get in front but never had a guy actually lean his shoulder into me like that."

Ovechkin, built like a linebacker at 6-2 and 233 pounds, was given a two-minute minor for goaltender interference and was booed by Canes fans the rest of the game. But where does such a play fit under the league's newly installed rule on intentional blindside hits to the head?

The rule calls for automatic review by the league and supplemental punishment includes a suspension or fine. As of Friday afternoon, there was no news or announcement concerning Ovechkin or whether the play was in question.

"I'm not going to call and complain to the league," Canes general manager Jim Rutherford said today. "But there is a fine line there. Is it one of those types of hits or not? I will ask that question at some point."

Legace said he didn't expect Ovechkin to be suspended or fined for the hit.

"I didn't get hurt. If I had gotten knocked out and rolled around, maybe," he said, smiling.

Another concern, Legace said, was that he had to grab his helmet after the hit and make sure it didn't pop off with a shot about to come his way.

"If he had knocked my helmet off it could have been dangerous," Legace said.