So, it's really a moot point as slashing and tripping are both penalties, but having had my referee's certification and been a practicing referee at one point in the not too distant past I'll say that while the motion was a slash at the start, it was clearly intended to remove Lefort from her feet and came from behind/the side across the front of her legs. She was NOT going down until contact was made with her legs by the stick (I think you're confusing a shooting follow-through with her starting to fall OR just making an excuse for Johnson because you're rightly peeved about Tutino). Although there is considerable latitude, most referees would probably call that a trip.
Regardless, the more important point was that Lefort got injured, possibly twice. It's now pretty clear to me she hit her head on the end boards as a result of sliding into them (and the teammate cradling her head after she hits the ice is a pretty good indicator of that one) and then Johnson slams into her from behind after that as a result of her tripping over Leforts legs after she is down, resulting in another collision with the boards (that one looks more lower body). Looking it over in slow mo, it is actually a pretty reckless play by Johnson on a player going full speed to the side of the net - I'd put it akin to a basketball player deliberately undercutting a player in the air going to the hoop and some pretty vicious NBA fights have occurred after a play like that. If I was on BU, I'd have been pretty PO'ed about that. So while the BC folks should be appropriately steamed about the Tutino hit, I think the BU folks have some cause to be upset as well. As noted, if it wasn't such a close game I'd be even more suspicious after watching it again that the Tutino hit was payback for the reckless play Johnson made.
As a follow-on, I saw Johnson make a couple of plays like that when she played for NAHA - hacking the feet out from a player who beat her. It's not something that speaks well of her.
