Apparently, Tuesday night's fight between Brad Marchand and Shayne Gostisbehere was just the tip of the iceberg for what was to come in a tension-filled Eastern Conference finals.

During the first period of Saturday's Game 3 between the Panthers and Hurricanes, Florida center Eetu Luostarinen put a pretty vicious hit on Carolina's Jackson Blake while chasing down a loose puck.

Referees immediately blew the whistle as Blake remained on the ice, and assessed Luostarinen with both a five-minute major and a game misconduct—resulting in ejection from the game.

Here's a look at the hit:

Ouch.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals is currently tied 1-1 midway through the second period. The Panthers hold a 2-0 lead over the Hurricanes in the best-of-seven series.


More on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Refs Eject Panthers' Eetu Luostarinen For Board-Rattling Hit on Hurricanes' Jackson Blake.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate