Golden Knights' Jack Eichel bounces back from massive hit, notches two assists in win

Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Matthew Tkachuk lined up Jack Eichel and leveled him with a thunderous open-ice hit that sent him to the ice.

Eichel quickly skated off and retreated to the locker room, for more than a few moments putting a scare into the Vegas Golden Knights late in the second period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Instead of his night being over, Eichel returned for the third period and set up the fifth goal of seven in a rout of the Florida Panthers that put Vegas up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and two wins away from a championship.

The hit debated ’round the hockey world was quickly determined by all involved to be clean, and Eichel’s bounce back to play another important role in this playoff run only further exemplified a team mantra that "it hurts to win." Players, after checking in with Eichel at intermission to make sure he was OK, repeated that phrase over and over.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Matthew Tkachuk #19 of the Florida Panthers checks Jack Eichel #9 of the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period in Game Two of the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 05, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

"It was definitely a big collision," Eichel said. "It’s a physical game. You’re going to get hit sometimes. You just kind of move on."

Eichel refused to complain about the hit and even took responsibility for putting himself in that position. "Got to be aware of it, you know? You’ve got to keep your head up."

That kind of hit used to be commonplace in the NHL but has faded with the evolution of players toward skill and away from potentially brutal contact.