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Clutterbuck on Williams: collision or late hit? (Video)

There is one thing we know for sure about the hit above: Justin Williams got absolutely rocked by Cal Clutterbuck on Thursday night.

The contact between the two players was well after Williams seemed to have touched the puck. Yet the question that could be bandied about is whether or not Clutterbuck collided with Williams or went out of his way to hit him, especially when it comes to any supplemental discipline.

Williams appears to be caught puck watching as he turns it over at center ice. As he skates forward, Clutterbuck comes in and blasts him.

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To us, it looks like Clutterbuck is watching Williams the entire way. If Clutterbuck wanted to avoid the hit, he could have easily pulled off and followed the play, or at the very least, minimize the contact made with Williams.

There is no doubt that this play has been clipped by the Department of Player Safety for review by Stephane Quintal. It’s up to him whether or he believes it’s a collision or a late hit.

Williams did leave the ice for approximately five-ish minutes of game-time. He returned to finish the game, recording a team high seven shots on goal and zero points. To say it was a rough night for Williams is an understatement. He thought he had a goal at the buzzer in the first period. Upon further review he was hundredths of a second too late.

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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter!

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