With Buffalo and Pittsburgh playing the back end of a back-to-back set tonight, the Department of Player Safety had to make a quick decision on what supplemental discipline Sabres winger Jeff Skinner would receive. That decision has now been made as the league announced (Twitter link) that the veteran has been suspended for three games.
The incident occurred late in Friday’s contest. Skinner took exception to Jake Guentzel making contact with Craig Anderson after the netminder froze the puck, delivering two cross-checks. The first hit the shoulder with the second getting Guentzel’s face; that’s the one that draws the suspension; in the video, it was noted that Skinner “aggressively and purposefully struck Guentzel… with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline”. He received a major and a match penalty on the play for cross-checking.
Skinner will miss tonight’s rematch against the Penguins as well as Tuesday’s game against Los Angeles and Thursday’s contest in Colorado. He’ll be eligible to return on Saturday in Arizona. It’s the second suspension of his career with the first incident occurring more than a decade ago and didn’t play a factor in this three-game ban. He forfeits nearly $146K in salary which goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
I’m not condoning Skinner’s dangerous reaction. But it was good to see a Sabre defending his teammate. Contrast his action to the pathetic complete lack of response when Lucic ran Ryan Miller all those years ago. That hit and the demonstration of no spine by Buffalo was the catalyst for the “rebuild” that has lingered for more than a decade.
One senses that any player on the ice would have been the one to defend Anderson. Skinner happened to be the one in that spot. At least he’s better compensated than most and is therefore able to absorb the $145k fine without ruining us kids’ Christmas.
Argument could be made to that Guentzel should at least get something for the chop to his ankle as well. That’s another issue with this process sometimes one-sided. Plus people outside of Pittsburgh fans have been saying seems there’s some preferential treatment towards Pittsburgh (especially Crosby). Im biased as well as I’m a Sabres fan but just seems not fully equal treatment.
Definitely agree Guentzel took a malicious hack before skinner hit him in the face. Dislike the one-sidedness of the decision.
It’s gonna get called that way EVERY time. And Skinner’s been around long enough to know that. This was not a one-sided Pens’ bias in action.
But Guentzel is a PoS and he deserves to be on notice that the league knows about his dirty play.