Referee takes puck in the worst place possible in Panthers and Rangers game

Midway through the third period, Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues was skating in to dump the puck into the offensive zone, but the referee was directly in front of him. The puck caught referee Devin Berg right in the junk, and he was down on the ice for a few moments to collect himself. Thankfully, Berg was able to remain in the game.

This year more than the past few years, it feels like referees are getting hurt often. Perhaps it's the increasing speed of the NHL catching up to more veteran referees. Earlier this year, referee Steve Kozari collided with Haydn Fleury in a routine play, and had to be stretchered off and taken to hospital.

As for the Panthers and Rangers game, the Panthers were able to lock down with a solid defensive effort to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row. The Rangers beat the shutout in the final moments of the game, but were unable to score the second goal to complete a comeback.

Now if the Edmonton Oilers are able to get the final win in the western conference final, they'll know who their opponent will be for the Stanley Cup.