The final moments of the game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks turned intense.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid and Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers both received match penalties for cross-checking. They will each have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. McDavid cross-checked Canucks right winger Conor Garland, while Myers hit Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard.
At the time, the Canucks were leading 3-2, with the Oilers pulling their goalie and adding an extra attacker.
McDavid got the puck from Bouchard at the blue line and tried to get around Garland. Garland blocked McDavid’s path, causing McDavid to fall on top of him. The two wrestled for around 10 seconds before getting back on their feet.
Meanwhile, Edmonton kept pushing for the tying goal. Leon Draisaitl took two shots at the net, but both were blocked by Canucks center Elias Pettersson.
As McDavid and Garland regained their footing, McDavid threw a cross-check to Garland’s head, knocking the Canucks player to the ice. This led to a big scrum, with players shoving each other.
Away from the main altercation, Bouchard and Myers were facing off, with Myers delivering a high cross-check to Bouchard.
According to the NHL rulebook, a match penalty is given “on any player who deliberately attempts to injure or who deliberately injures an opponent in any manner.”
After the game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch expressed his frustration with Garland’s actions toward McDavid before the cross-check.
“We’re down one goal, and the best player in the league is getting held for 15 seconds,” Knoblauch told reporters. “There’s frustration that’s allowed to happen.”
Canucks coach Rick Tocchet, whose team held on to win 3-2, didn’t say much about the scrum.
“I haven’t looked at the video,” Tocchet said. “Obviously, there were a couple of match penalties, so we’ll have to take a look at that. It’s out of our control. It’s the league’s stuff.”
McDavid has been involved in several controversial incidents recently. On January 13, during a game against the Los Angeles Kings, McDavid was the victim of a slew foot from Adrian Kempe. The Kings’ left winger was fined $5,000 for the incident.
In Edmonton’s game against the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, McDavid elbowed Marcus Johansson, causing Johansson to leave the game. Minnesota defenseman Jake Middleton expressed his displeasure with the no-call, saying, “I don’t care if it’s the best player in the world.”
McDavid was also suspended two games in February 2019 for an illegal check on Nick Leddy, who was playing for the New York Islanders at the time.
As for Myers, he was suspended three games in 2012 for boarding Scott Gomez of the Montreal Canadiens. He received another three-game suspension in 2014 for a high hit on Danius Zubrus of the New Jersey Devils.
