NHL Playoffs 2011: Are Head-Hit Suspensions Changing the Postseason?

Many things have seemed different about this round of the NHL playoffs, and series leads in both conferences have been all but safe. Still, nothing has changed the postseason more than suspensions for hits.

In the first round, there has been a low tolerance for any hit that is considered a blind-side hit or aimed at the head. In wake of this, there have been multiple suspensions, including two in the Penguins vs. Lightning game on Monday.

How is this affecting the playoffs? There still seem to be big, spectacular hits, such as the hit on Chicago's Brent Seabrook by Vancouver's Raffi Torres, that don’t get suspended because they fall into the rules (even if Seabrook was out two games because of it).

How did Torres get away with his hit, you ask?

"This hit meets none of the criteria that would subject Torres to supplemental discipline, including an application of Rule 48: He did not charge his opponent or leave his feet to deliver this check,” NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said in a statement to NHL.com. “He did not deliver an elbow or extended forearm and this hit was not 'late'."

So while we still have massive hits in the game, and some that even cause prolonged injures, the NHL has left a little space for players to still play the game and deliver hits without the fear of being suspended. This leaves the playoffs interesting for fans while also keeping players relatively safe when it comes to head hits.

There has been an outcry for a resolution to head hits and the NHL has offered a solution by handing out suspensions. But with the number of suspensions during the playoffs, it seems that it may take a little while for the players to understand that these hits will not be tolerated.

The suspensions and new no-tolerance rules have definitely changed the landscape of the playoffs in the opening round. The question is will this continue throughout the playoffs? It is a question that will have to be answered in the coming weeks, as players finally get the message that the NHL has drawn a line they aren't allowed to step over.