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The NHL has decided not to suspend Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl for a hit on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Sources told Greg Wyshynski of ESPN on June 11 that the NHL Department of Player Safety did not consider the hit to rise to the level of a suspension because it “wasn’t viewed as predatory or delivered with intent to injure.”
Draisaitl, who has no history of suspensions and has only been fined twice before, avoided further discipline. Teammate Sam Carrick, however, was fined $2,213.54, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slashing Florida’s Dmitry Kulikov.
The incident occurred in the third period, with the Panthers leading 2-1 and less than 10 minutes left in regulation.
Draisaitl left his feet and leaped in Barkov’s direction, hitting Barkov’s jaw with his elbow. The hit caused Barkov to fall to the ice as he struggled to get up.
The officials on the ice handed Draisaitl a two-minute minor penalty for roughing and Barkov did not return to the game.
Maurice Comments on Barkov Status Ahead of Game 3
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice provided an update on Barkov’s condition on June 11, one day after Game 2.
Speaking from Fort Lauderdale, FL, as the Panthers don’t plan to fly to Edmonton until June 12 because of the distance, Maurice confirmed that Barkov’s status is improving.
“He wasn’t worse,” Maurice said, provided an update on Barkov’s condition on June 11. “So that’s a really good thing. The real assessment will be tomorrow. But if he continues to progress, we should be in good shape.”
Maurice addressed the hit’s impact and implied Barkov had avoided a concussion and the NHL protocol for such injury.
“We had some things that needed to get looked at today that got looked at. So there’s nothing sinister there. He kind of passed that, Maurice said. “He felt better today. Feels good. But you’ve got to give it another 24 hours to make sure that he’s still feeling strong and if that continues to progress then he’ll be a player for us.”
The Panthers coach didn’t want to talk about his feelings about the hit anymore after avoiding that type of comment during his postgame press conference on June 10.
“It’s done,” Maurice said. “The refs called the penalty on the ice. The league will make their decision and then we’re not dealing with that anymore.”
Barkov leads the Panthers with 19 points in 19 postseason games, tied with teammate Matthew Tkachuk. He’s also been a key component of Florida’s efforts to stop Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, who has only managed 1 assist in the series so far.
Oilers’ Sam Carrick Fined for Slashing Penalty
In the aforementioned, separate incident during Game 2, Oilers’ Sam Carrick received a fine for a slashing penalty on Florida’s Dmitry Kulikov.
The referees called the penalty on Carrick at the 17:57 mark of the third period. Subsequently and upon review, the NHL Player Safety Department gave Carrick a $2,213.54 fine, the maximum amount allowed under the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Carrick’s action did not result in any injuries, and the Oilers player avoided suspension. The forward only has 1 assist through 10 playoff games.
Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t anticipate anything more than a penalty in the case of Draisaitl’s hit when addressing the media after Game 2.
“I think he went in there to hit. His hands got up a little bit high. He was trying to knock him off the puck and that led to the penalty,” Knoblauch said on June 10.
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