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Josh Archibald Receives One-Game Suspension

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The decision needed to be made quickly with Winnipeg and Edmonton playing again tonight and the ruling is in.  Oilers winger Josh Archibald has received a one-game suspension for his hit on Jets defenseman Logan Stanley on Sunday night, the Department of Player Safety announced (video link).

With 8:49 left in the third period, Archibald was called for tripping on a low-bridge hit on Stanley.  In the league’s announcement, they determined that it met the criteria to be called clipping, calling Archibald’s hit “excessively low” while it is illegal to dip at or below knee level to deliver a hit.  To make matters worse, the Jets scored on the man advantage to make it 4-2, then added two more to tie up before overtime where Nikolaj Ehlers potted the winner to give Winnipeg a 3-0 series lead.

This is the second suspension of Archibald’s career as he also received a two-game ban back in 2018 for a hit to the head on Ryan Hartman who was with Nashville at the time.  Meanwhile, Edmonton will likely turn to one of James Neal Alex Chiasson, or Dominik Kahun to take Archibald’s place in the lineup; both were healthy scratches on Sunday night after playing the first two games of the series.

Colorado’s Jacob MacDonald Suspended Two Games

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The NHL Department of Player Safety is not in the business of going easy on rookies. The league has announced a two-game suspension for Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jacob MacDonald for an illegal hit to the head. The incident in question took place during Wednesday night’s season series finale with the Minnesota Wild, with MacDonald targeting a defenseless Ryan Hartman in the first period. Player Safety described the hit as follows:

MacDonald delivered a high, forceful hit to [Hartman] that picked his head, making it the main point of contact on a hit where such contact was avoidable… MacDonald, arriving on the backcheck, delivers a high hit that cuts across the front of Hartman and picks his head. This is an illegal check to the head… While MacDonald does make some contact with Hartman’s chest, MacDonald’s shoulder hits through Hartman’s jaw and it is the head that absorbs the brunt of the impact… [Hartman] does not change the position of his head or body in any way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact. If MacDonald wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Hartman’s shoulder and core rather than one that cuts across the front of his body and makes the head the main point of contact.

The league notes that MacDonald does not have any history of fines or suspensions in his short NHL career (or in the AHL for that matter) but it didn’t stop them from sitting him for two games as discipline for a dangerous hit. The goal is likely to show a young player that actions have consequences, even when the on-ice officials missed the call. MacDonald was not assessed a penalty, when he likely should have received a game misconduct in the first period, so this likely contributed to his suspension being two games rather than just one, even as a first offense.

The 27-year-old has admirably worked his way from an undrafted prospect at Cornell University, through a number of years in the AHL and ECHL, to a regular role on the blue line this season for one of the league’s best teams. Colorado will have to survive without him for two games – fortunately against the lackluster Anaheim Ducks – but MacDonald has proven himself to be a reliable defenseman and should be back in the lineup as soon as he is eligible. His first bad decision as a pro should not impact MacDonald much as long as he keeps it clean moving forward.

Carson Soucy Suspended One Game

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The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has issued a one-game suspension to Minnesota Wild defensemen Carson Soucy for his hit on Arizona Coyotes forward Conor Garland. The punishment is for charging, and the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that this is not a case of a player elevating slightly as part of a natural hitting motion while delivering a full body hit. Nor is it a case of a player coming off the ice after contact because of the force of the collision. If Soucy wishes to deliver this check legally, he must stay low and hit through Garland’s shoulder or core, rather than elevating upward and into his head.

Soucy’s clean record with no fines and suspensions kept the punishment to a minimum, along with the fact that Garland did not suffer a significant injury on the play. Still, the Minnesota defenseman will be held out of their next game and this incident will be taken into account down the line.

Minnesota is back in action tomorrow against the Colorado Avalanche, but Soucy will not be eligible to dress. The 26-year-old has become an important piece for the Wild since the start of the 2019-20 campaign and has eight points in 22 games this season.

Tom Wilson Suspended Seven Games

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Sunday: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that Wilson has elected to serve his seven-game suspension and will not appeal it.

Saturday: The Department of Player Safety has come down hard on Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, suspending him seven games for his hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo. As the accompanying video explains:

On this play, the combination of Carlo’s battle with [Jakub] Vrana, his head being low as he looks for the puck, and Wilson’s angle of approach, combine to leave Carlo in a position where he is defenseless. Through no fault of his own, he is in a position where he is unable to brace for contact, anticipate the hit, or protect himself in any way from Wilson, who is approaching from outside his field of vision. 

The league admits that hits like the one Wilson threw happen frequently, but still believes the totality of the situation—including substantial contact with the head—elevates it to supplementary discipline. The NHL also obviously took into account Wilson’s history with the Department of Player Safety. In the video, they explain:

This is a player with a substantial disciplinary record taking advantage of an opponent who is in a defenseless position, and doing so with significant force.

Wilson has been suspended four times and fined twice in the past, leading to the seven-game ban. Carlo also suffered an injury on the play, which is also taken into account in these situations.

Obviously, in a shortened schedule, suspensions have even more impact on a team. Wilson will miss an eighth of the entire schedule with this new penalty and forfeits more than $300K in salary.

Sharks’ Joachim Blichfeld Suspended Two Games

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Following a dangerous hit, to one of the league’s biggest stars no less, and a match penalty, then a subsequent hearing earlier today, San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld cannot be too surprised about the end result. The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced a two-game suspension for Blichfeld resulting from an illegal check to the head of Colorado Avalanche icon Nathan MacKinnon on Wednesday night. The league ruled as follows on the supplemental discipline handed down:

Blichfeld cuts across the front of [MacKinnon’s] body and delivers a check that makes MacKinnon’s head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable. This is an illegal check to the head.

While we accept Blichfeld’s assertion that he does not intentionally hit MacKinnon in the head, he takes an angle of approach that… makes the head the main point of contact rather than one that more solidly hits through the near shoulder, hips, and core.

While MacKinnon did exit the game following this hit, head coach Jared Bednar seemed optimistic after the game and expects MacKinnon will not miss any time. If MacKinnon had been seriously injured, this easily could have been a longer suspension for Blichfeld. Also helping to limit the suspension to just two games in Blichfeld’s clean record; he has no fines or suspensions in his NHL career, albeit just four games, or in his AHL career. The league also seemed to believe in his statement that the illegal check was not purposeful.

Blichfeld, who had only been recalled by the Sharks earlier in the day on Wednesday and was making his season debut, will now sit for San Jose’s next two games, a back-to-back set with the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday and Saturday. After that, the team will have to decide whether he is worth an extended look or if his suspension is grounds for a return to the AHL.

Sammy Blais Receives Two-Game Suspension

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The verdict is in and the first suspension of the regular season has been handed down as the Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that Blues winger Sammy Blais has received a two-game suspension for his illegal check to the head on Colorado defenseman Devon Toews on Wednesday night.

The play occurred early in the first period with Blais being assessed a minor penalty for elbowing at the time.  Toews did leave the game briefly but returned and wound up logging 22:17, second on the team behind Cale Makar.

Blais will forfeit just shy of $26K in salary which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.  As he’s not a repeat offender, the denominator in the equation to calculate the forfeited pay is the number of days in the season instead of the number of games.  Blais has an AAV of $1.5MM and 2/1116th of that is his fine.  He will miss the rematch against the Avs on Friday as well as the first of two games against San Jose and will be eligible to return to the lineup on Wednesday.

Alex Killorn Suspended One Game

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The Department of Player Safety has made a ruling and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be without one of their most experienced playoff performers. Alex Killorn has received a one-game suspension for his hit on New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that this is not a case where a sudden or unexpected movement by Nelson just prior to contact, turns a legal hit into an illegal one. From the moment that Nelson initially collects the puck and until contact is made, Killorn sees nothing but his numbers. While we accept Tampa Bay’s assertion that Killorn makes some attempt to deliver this check from the side, this is still a forceful hit from behind on a defenseless player who is no longer in possession of the puck. 

Killorn will effectively miss two full games because of the hit since he was given a game misconduct last night at 5:55 of the first period. Nelson did leave the game for a period of time but returned later.

The league also pointed out that Killorn does not have a significant disciplinary history, having been fined just once in his career. He’ll have to miss game three but can make a return to the Tampa lineup after that.

Ryan Reaves Receives One-Game Suspension

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The Golden Knights will indeed be without winger Ryan Reaves for their series-opening game against Dallas on Sunday as the league announced that he has received a one-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Canucks forward Tyler Motte on Friday night.  The video from the Department of Player Safety explaining their decision can be found here.

The hit occurred late in the second period and Reaves received a major and a match penalty for the hit which was reviewed and upheld by officials.  Vancouver was unable to score with the critical man advantage and ultimately fell 3-0.

With Reaves out of the lineup, Nick Cousins will likely take his place for Game One against the Stars.  He had been scratched when Tomas Nosek returned on Friday night.  He has five assists in 14 games so far this postseason while Reaves has four helpers in 15 contests.

Matt Niskanen Receives One-Game Suspension

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The Flyers will be without one of their veteran defensemen on Friday night as they look to close out their series against Montreal as the Department of Player Safety announced (video link) that Matt Niskanen has received a one-game suspension for his cross-check on Brendan Gallagher late in Wednesday’s contest.

The incident occurred with just over five minutes remaining in the third period.  In their video describing the reason for the suspension, the league noted that they accepted Niskanen’s statement that he wasn’t trying to hit Gallagher in the head and that Gallagher’s sudden movement just before the cross-check occurred was a contributory factor to the hit landing on his head and not lower.  Gallagher suffered a broken jaw on the play and will be out for the rest of this series at the very least.

With Niskanen out of the lineup, it may pave the way for Shayne Gostisbehere to return.  He suited up in the first two games of the series before being scratched to make room for Robert Hagg.  Gostisbehere has a history of success against Montreal; they are the only opponent that he has averaged more than a point per game against with 14 points (2-12-14) in 13 games.

Snapshots: Zub, Suspensions, U17

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With the KHL season and playoffs now over, the pursuit of the best players in the league will begin in earnest for NHL clubs trying to add free agent talent. One of the players drawing the most interest is Artyom Zub, who Darren Dreger of TSN reports has narrowed his options to just two teams. The Ottawa Senators, one of the teams chasing Zub the longest, is one of them.

The 24-year old defenseman has played the last four seasons with SKA St. Petersburg, one of the KHL’s powerhouse organizations. He broke out offensively this season with 13 goals and 22 points, though Igor Eronko of Sport-Express points out that he doesn’t see the powerplay and is normally more of a defensive option. For a more thorough scouting report, Scott Wheeler and Hailey Salvian of The Athletic (subscription required) recently broke down some of Zub’s tape.

  • Zub’s not the only KHL player with his name in the news today, as Kirill Dyakov was one of three to receive a suspension from the IIHF. Dyakov currently plays for Admiral Vladivostok but will receive a 15-month suspension from IIHF competition after testing positive for cocaine. Michael Budd and Vladislav Nikiforov also received 24- and 15-month suspensions respectively.
  • USA Hockey has announced its U17 roster for the 2020-21 season, a group that is expected to have a strong NHL draft presence down the road. There are some familiar hockey names among them, including Marek Hejduk—son of Colorado Avalanche legend Milan Hejduk.

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