VIDEO: Steve Staios Flattens Max Talbot With Elbow To Head

There was no penalty called for this elbow to the head of Max Talbot on Thursday night, but Steve Staios of the New York Islanders should probably expect a phone call from Brendan Shanahan on the matter.

Late in the third period, Staios lined Talbot up for a hit, but instead of taking the body, he picked the head clean off the Flyers forward. (Okay, not actually off, but you get the idea.)

Have to admit bias here as a Flyers fan, so in trying to negate that, we'll chime in with thoughts from Islanders blog Lighthouse Hockey before presenting the argument for suspension:

They didn't overcall a Steve Staios hit on Maxime Talbot though. Initial hit looked good but may have had the dreaded elbow/head contact on the follow through. Talbot certainly was vulnerable. My replays weren't clear, the refs didn't call anything to begin with, so their conferencing afterward made me nervous. (And the league may yet review it, though Talbot didn't miss a shift and thus lacks the "evident injury on the play.")

I think it was pretty clearly an elbow directly to the head, but we'll let you be the judge of that. (Beauty of the Internet, you know? There's video, so you can decide for yourself!) I understand why the call wasn't made on the ice -- it happened quickly, and even when I saw it live, I thought it looked clean. The officials can't see everything.

At the same time, on replay it does seem pretty evident that it was right to the head. If the elbow is tucked and the contact comes in the chest or on the shoulder, it's a perfectly wonderful hit, but the head contact makes this a no-no -- and for good reason. At least in my admittedly biased eyes.