The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without Hart-candidate Auston Matthews for the next two matches, after he was given a two-game suspension from the Department of Player Safety. The ruling comes after Matthews delivered a cross-check to Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in yesterday’s Heritage Classic. As the accompanying video explains:
While we acknowledge Matthews’ argument that this is not a cross-check meant to harm or injure his opponent, it is also not a routine motion to box out an opponent or gain body position. Having just been involved in a shoving match with Dahlin that knocked him into the net, Matthews aggressively retaliates by raising his stick significantly and creating this contact. This is a high, forceful cross-check that makes contact with an opponent’s neck with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.
Dahlin did not suffer a serious injury on the play, and Matthews does not have any history with the DoPS previously. In fact, the normally reserved Maple Leafs forward has only 68 penalty minutes in his entire career, no more than 14 in a single season. Still, this obvious show of frustration was one that immediately got the attention of the league and will end up costing him more than $116K in forfeited salary.
It will also put a closer watch on Matthews moving forward, as this incident will be considered when determining any future supplementary discipline.
More importantly, the scuffling Maple Leafs will now be without their best player as they try to get out of a tailspin that threatens to drop them out of an Atlantic Division playoff spot. The team has lost their last two and are 5-3-2 in their last ten, and now have just a two-point lead on the red-hot Boston Bruins.
Uhhhh sandin is matthews teammate.
Probably a longer suspension had he cross-checked Sandin. It’s fixed.
Thanks man.
1 game. 2 is extreme.
@Dave – Maybe they gave him that extra game for chirping (rightfully) about the crap-called game vs ARI.
Dave Frost – that was a viscous hit straight to the neck/head.
Never touched the shoulder.
A 2 handed attempt to hurt. So no extreme sentence here.
Maybe if he wasn’t getting shafted by officials on not getting any penalties called against opponents, he wouldn’t feel he needs to defend himself.
Maybe if he didn’t feel like he needed to drop his pants to female security or cross check dudes in the face to defend himself…
And maybe if when he thought a call was missed, he continued to play instead of yapping at the officials – Ari wouldn’t be on a 2-1 for the GWG!
@bruin4ever – Bubble-buster alert – He did continue to play AND cuss out referee belligerence while doing so. It wouldn’t surprise me if MLSE made sure that was included in the clip of the GWG on NHL.com, to rub the league’s nose in it. Unfortunately for them, it will probably have the exact opposite effect.
Matthews is a baby, scores a goal and raises his arms like a gladiator. Send him packing to a glory oriented team. A brutal cross check to the neck of an opponent. Disgusting ego by a self serving athlete.
Pittsburgh will take him. Straight up for Malkin.
Does Matthews still have that bad mustache that makes him look like a young Jon Lovitz?
Unfortunately yes.
Try as you might, you’ll never convince me that this was a more vicious “not-a-hockey-play” crosscheck than Jonathan Drouin putting Tyler Seguin in a guillotine just two months ago. That play resulted in a $5,000 fine. DoPS needs to get its poop together. And I’m not even going to get into the ref standing not 10 feet away letting it all escalate to that point and doing nothing. Oops, I guess I just did.
Good to see justice being served on the NHL’s golden boy. It will be good to see Trono sink even further into their slump! LOL
nhls golden boy? I missed the story about Connor McDavid.
this isnt Sidney Crosby
McJesus is the Golden SHOWER boy. Mathews got off easy with 2 because he’s the golden boy. Funny how he says the stick rode up Rasmus’ shoulder but the video clearly shows Mathews leapt up to make sure he cleared the shoulder for a direct hit.
So much jealousy of the Leafs and Matthews in these comments it’s sad.
Hahahaha, alrighty then