Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews has been suspended two games without pay for cross-checking Buffalo Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin on Sunday.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Matthews will forfeit US$116,402.50 for the incident.
The incident happened at the 14:55 mark of Sunday’s Heritage Classic outdoor game between the Leafs and Sabres at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. Matthews delivered a cross-check to Dahlin’s neck while the two players were battling in front of the Buffalo net.
“This [was] a high forceful cross-check that makes force with an opponent’s neck with sufficient force to warrant supplemental discipline,” the NHL’s department of player safety said of the event in a video describing its rationale for the suspension.
Both Matthews and Dahlin were assessed two-minute minor penalties on the play for cross-checking.
Dahlin received no extra discipline.
“It’s battling in front of the net,” Matthews said after the game. “I felt like I kind of rode up his shoulder, and his shoulder pad rolled up a little bit. That’s hockey, it’s competitive out there, guys are physical and trying to compete.”
Matthews scored his league-leading 45th goal of the season Sunday. He is on a five-game point streak with eight goals and one assist.
On Tuesday night, the Dallas Stars are in Toronto to face the Maple Leafs. The Leafs and Stars have each lost their past two games.
The Stars lost 7-4 to the New York Rangers on Saturday despite scoring the first two goals. The game in Toronto will start a stretch of nine of 11 games on the road for Dallas.
Toronto’s defensive woes continued Sunday. With No. 1 goaltender Jack Campbell out with a rib injury, Petr Mrazek made 33 saves and allowed four goals.
One of the goals was deflected by Toronto defenceman TJ Brodie’s skate and tied the game 2-2.
“We got some momentum, but their second goal off our foot was a tough bounce, and we didn’t get enough offence to make up for it,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said.
Another goal from a sharp angle squeezed past Mrazek. Another came after Mrazek had inadvertently dislodged the net from its moorings. The fifth was scored into an empty net.
“I thought [Mrazek] looked solid, all things considered,” Keefe said.
It was the 10th time in its past 12 games that Toronto allowed at least four goals.
The Maple Leafs have struggled against some of the weaker teams. They lost to the Sabres at home 5-1 on March 2.
“There’s no such thing as an off night in this league,” Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “Teams are hungry, guys are playing for contracts. We talk about all the right things in the room before the game, whether it was this one or playing these guys two weeks ago, or Arizona or Seattle. But teams come out and play us hard, and it’s on us to respond. I don’t think it’s an issue for us long-term, but right now it’s tough sledding.”
The Stars are playing without stalwart defenceman Miro Heiskanen, who is out with mononucleosis.
Dallas is 2-2-0 in the four games without him.
This will be the first meeting of the season between the teams.
With a report from The Canadian Press