The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing a shortage of key forwards, and things may get worse after a controversial hit by a Vegas Golden Knights defender. In the second period, Matthew Knies left the game after a significant hit from Zach Whitecloud. The Maple Leafs promptly declared Knies out for the rest of the game due to an upper-body injury.
Whitecloud’s hit was substantial, leading many to call for additional disciplinary action.
The hit caught Knies high, causing his head to snap back as he fell to the ice. While it didn’t appear that Knies’ head hit the surface, Whitecloud’s shoulder seemed to make contact with his face. At the time, Knies was skating through the neutral zone with the puck when Whitecloud delivered the heavy hit. This led to a skirmish, and although Whitecloud received a penalty, it was for roughing Simon Benoit, who retaliated, rather than for the initial hit itself.
The Maple Leafs are no strangers to illegal hits; their previous game featured a hit by veteran forward Ryan Reaves that resulted in a five-game suspension. Reaves’ hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse was more blatant and warranted disciplinary action.
While Whitecloud’s hit may not trigger a review from the Department of Player Safety, it also didn’t seem entirely clean. It was evident that Whitecloud’s shoulder made primary contact with Knies’ head. Even if Whitecloud intended to hit Knies’ shoulder, he still made contact with the head. Concerns have been raised about whether he was properly positioned to make the hit, though the NHL concluded that he was not. According to the Sportsnet panel during the second intermission, the absence of a penalty was based on the belief that it was a “good clean hockey hit.” Although the Golden Knights defender may not face further consequences from the incident, the Maple Leafs must now contend with the potential loss of another forward due to injury.
Leave a Reply