The Department of Player Safety has decided that some supplemental discipline is warranted after last night’s Vegas Golden Knights-Edmonton Oilers game. Alex Pietrangelo will have a hearing today regarding his slash on Leon Draisaitl.
Near the end of the game, as Draisaitl tried to extend Edmonton’s lead with a backhand shot on an empty net, Pietrangelo skated toward him and delivered a hard slash after the puck had already been released.
The Vegas defenseman was penalized for slashing and given a game misconduct, as the officials tried (and failed) to keep order on the ice. He’ll now likely face a suspension, as hearings generally result in at least a one-game ban.
However, Edmonton could be without their own impact defenseman, as Darnell Nurse’s late instigator penalty does come with an automatic suspension. As Darren Dreger of TSN tweets, the league can decide to rescind the instigator or the automatic suspension. There has not yet been any indication from the DoPS on Nurse’s status.
Any discipline could have a significant effect in a heated series now tied at 2-2. The teams will battle again tomorrow night in Las Vegas.
@Gavin—“…as the officials tried (and failed) to keep order on the ice.” Is there a pattern here with the lousy job done by the stripes this year? (Rhetorical).
The league seems to be perpetually stuck between reducing and eliminating fighting.
They don’t allow enough fighting for the teams to police themselves, but they also haven’t adjusted the way games all called to make the refs responsible for keeping the play clean.
The ref still predictably try to keep the number of penalties called somewhat even as they used to do in the free fighting era. But that let’s the more physical team take advantage and makes tensions and emotions rise all game long.
Fighting used to be my favorite part of the game but I no longer condone it all. The risk of head injury and CTE outweighs the entertainment factor by miles.
The league needs to acknowledge this and change the culture of the game and the responsibility of the refs accordingly (imo)
@Weasel 3 — “The risk of head injury and CTE outweighs the entertainment factor by miles.” Well put. I expect punch-in-the-face contests for legit reasons, not just because of a guy finishing his check, or because referee incompetence types pulled a crap non-call on a play that was a blatant penalty. The league is headed for another lawsuit for their inaction on hits causing concussions or just outright dangerous plays. I’m not asking for flag-hockey, just properly officiated games. After 60 years of declining quality of officiating, I’m not holding my breath.
“The ref still predictably try to keep the number of penalties called somewhat even as they used to do in the free fighting era. But that let’s the more physical team take advantage and makes tensions and emotions rise all game long.” Again, well put. If penalties are committed at a 2:1 or 3:1, etc. rate, then that’s how the game must be called.
Fans from Cape Breton to Rouyn-Noranda will be getting to see slashes like this on a nightly basis
Pretty brutal 2 handed axe swing. One of the worst things ive seen since Bertuzzi honestly
Almost like when they allow players like bennet to slam guys heads into the ice, to fight guys in a scrum after the game and be all around dirty scum with 0 consequences it emboldens other players to also play dirty
@Joe Carters walkoff – Remember Marty McSorley getting Donald Brashear?
Oh yeah. That also was horrible. That game last night felt like a 70s or 80s game
Should be a game but Nurse probably gone as well…for a game..
I would hope AP gets more than a game for that. I mean a two handed axe swing to a guy should not be the same as simply starting a fight late in a game.