Matt Niskanen won’t be suspended for injuring Sidney Crosby
Washington Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen won’t receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL for his cross-check to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby in the Capitals’ 3-2 overtime win in Game 3 on Monday night.
At 5:24 of the first period, Crosby was cutting in front of the Capitals’ net on a scoring chance. Alex Ovechkin gave him a hard slash to the upper body. Crosby was knocked off balance and began falling to his right. Niskanen skated over, his stick raised to brace for impact. His stick connected with Crosby’s head, and he fell to the ice.
[Follow Puck Daddy on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]
Niskanen was given a major penalty for cross-checking, which carries a game misconduct with it. The infraction was Niskansen’s second major penalty in a span of 242 regular-season games and 35 playoff games.
Crosby was down for several moments before being helped to the back. He didn’t return in Game 3, and coach Mike Sullivan said Crosby would be evaluated overnight. Crosby has a history of concussions, including one that resulted from a hit in the 2011 Winter Classic against the Capitals.
After the game, Niskanen said:
From Niskanen:
“It wasn’t intentional. I’ve seen the replay. In super slow-mo, it looks really bad. I caught him high. I think he’s coming across trying to score. As he’s doing that, he’s getting lower and lower,and when it’s happening that fast, you know, my stick and his head collided. I wasn’t extending trying to hit him in the head. It happened quickly.
“I wasn’t even trying to cross check him with a serious amount of force. A collision was going to happen there in the crease. When the play first starts, I think my stick’s at about his arm level probably, right about where the numbers are on the side of his jersey. Because he’s trying to make a play, he’s getting lower and lower, because he’s getting pressured, trying to score, so the collision happened there.”
“I hope he’s OK. I certainly didn’t mean to injure him.”
Sullivan refrained from commenting on the hit. Barry Trotz, the Capitals’ coach, called it a “hockey play.” Chris Kunitz of the Penguins said, “It’s one of those things that you look at it once and you see what actually happened and I think the next thing is watching how deliberate it was when the guy cross-checks him in the face.”
Was this decision by the NHL the right one?
Yes. Watch the play again. Crosby is coming in low. Niskanen looks like he’s trying to put his arms up to shield himself from impact, which is a normal thing to expect from a player in that moment. The key for the NHL in determining a suspension? That he doesn’t separate his hands, like you would normally do to cross-check an opponent.
If the League was going to suspend Niskanen, it was going to be over intent to injure, and it’s difficult to establish he intended to cross-check Crosby in the head.
Game 4 of the series is on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, who leads the Capitals 2-1 in their Metro Division final series.
—
Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
MORE FROM YAHOO SPORTS
