"What a great hit";"Nothing clean about it": NHL fans debate over Vince Dunn’s hit on Mats Zuccarello

There was some chatter surrounding Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn's hit on Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello during their game on Monday. The Wild responded on the ice with a 4-1 win, ending their seven-day road trip on a high.

At 14:59 of the first period, Dunn hit Zuccarello, which appeared to be a clean hit; however, the impact led to the Wild player's head snapping back, and he hit the ice hard. Dunn was initially assessed a major penalty, but the call was reversed.

Fans were divided on social media about the hit's legality. Here are a few reactions on X:

"What a great hit!! all legal shoulder on shoulder...rocked this guy's cup out of place," a fan wrote.

"Nothing clean about it...catching the guy on the chin, which is attached to his head, don't care where hit started lol. Refs are extra shit this yr," a fan countered.

"My boy saw that a mile away and still took it directly to the sternum," a fan said.

"Shoulder to the head! YGBKM!" a fan exclaimed.

"It was so close to being a headshot," a fan added.

"Looked clean but ouch," a fan stated.

Wild didn't let the incident slide with forward Danila Yurov, among many Wild teammates, roughing up Dunn. It led to a double minor for Yurov, while the latter was handed a 2-minute penalty. After Dunn came back onto the ice, he was enticed into a fight by Minnesota's Ryan Hartman towards the end of the first period.

The Wild emerged out of the first intermission break without Zuccarello and with ten forwards, but much more composed. Eriksson Ek started the scoring in the second period before Seattle's Jordan Elberle drew level. Marcus Johansson put the Wild in front at 8:12 in the third before two empty netters settled their win.

Wild coach John Hynes gives update on Mats Zuccarello

Mats Zuccarello has been key in the Wild's offensive line dealing with injuries. He has 12 points in 14 games so far. After the game, during his media scrum, John Hynes cleared the air surrounding Zuccarello, providing a positive update after initial checks were conducted on the top six forward.

“It's more disturbing, as a coach, when you see one of your players laying on the ice and get hit like that,” Hynes said. “I’m just thankful that ‘Zuccy’s’ in a good spot right now.”

Losing another top six forward would be detrimental for the Wild, who already looked short-staffed, with Marco Rossi, Marcus Foligno and Vinnie Hinostroza, missing the current road trip due to injury. Forwards Nico Strum and Matt Boldy, who were struck by pucks, also left the game for brief periods.

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Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy