Jack Hughes destroyed by hit to the head, no penalty called in Devils-Maple Leafs matchup

The New Jersey Devils are currently entrenched in a very dominant start against the Toronto Maple Leafs. At the time of this writing during the second intermission, the Devils hold a 25-6 shot advantage, but it's only led to a 1-0 goal advantage thanks to New Jersey native Anthony Stolarz. He's been absolutely amazing this game. Give all props to him. Ondrej Palat was finally able to break through in the second period, giving the Devils the lead.

One thing that doesn't deserve props is the hit Max Pacioretty put on Jack Hughes near the end of the period. The veteran forward was trying to knock Hughes off the puck in his defensive zone, which in of itself, is fine. Hughes did get rid of the puck, but one could argue it was a bang-bang play that didn't give him time to let up, which would negate an interference call.

What it should have been was a charging call. It's clear as day, and some might argue that the head contact should have given the Devils a five minute major power play. Take a look for yourself:

This is a textbook example of charging. Not only is Pacioretty ignoring the puck completely with the main intention of the play to lay out Hughes, but his main point of contact is the head. Plus, on top of all that, he launches into Hughes. Here is the charging penalty as explained by NHL rulebook section 42.1:

"Charging - A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player
who skates, jumps into or charges an opponent in any manner.
Charging shall mean the actions of a player who, as a result of
distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A
“charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal
frame or in open ice. "

NHL Rulebook

So, you have a player who skated into Jack Hughes, jumped into Jack Hughes, and violently hit Jack Hughes. Pacioretty violated three parts of this rule all during the same hit. The fact that he did this without getting a penalty is preposterous.

When the announcers describe a hit as a "freight train," it's probably a penalty. We'll see how the rest of the game goes and if this has an impact on the score.