Ask Peelsy: How many games for Auston Matthews?
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on Sunday night that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews will have a hearing on Monday for his cross-check to the face of Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin during Sunday’s Heritage Classic at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton, Ont.
Daily Faceoff rules analyst and longtime NHL referee Tim Peel is here with his take.
Hey Peelsy, how many games for Matthews?
Let's play 'How Many Games?"… Auston Matthews crosscheck on Rasmus Dahlin 🤔#HeritageClassic #Leafs pic.twitter.com/zN3eSllH4K
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) March 13, 2022The Incident
It’s not difficult to understand what triggered Auston Matthews in this sequence.
He was jawing with Rasmus Dahlin, trading blows, but the game situation is important.
The Maple Leafs were trailing the 29th place team in the NHL by a 4-2 margin with just over five minutes left in what was supposed to be a festive outdoor game in The Hammer.
He was clearly frustrated by the game and the score. It was the 10th time in Toronto’s last 12 games that they had allowed four or more goals. With five minutes to go, he had little to lose.
When players commit an infraction during the course of play that is suspension worthy, it is usually more reactionary. That is important to consider.
In my opinion, he wouldn’t have done this in the first period or in a close game. He would’ve kept his cool.
I feel that plays such as this one, and the kneeing sequence that earned teammate Jason Spezza a six-game suspension in December (later reduced to four games on appeal), are more calculated and deserve a more harsh suspension.
Like Spezza, Matthews has never been fined or suspended in his six-year, 390-game career. He was a finalist last season for the Lady Byng Trophy as the game’s most gentlemanly player with five minor penalties.
It is also important to consider recent Department of Player Safety precedence for clues. There has only been one suspension for cross-checking this season: Ottawa’s Ridly Greig was suspended for two preseason games for cross-checking Winnipeg’s Pierre-Luc Dubois. There have been seven fines handed out, totaling $23,654.17.
Generally, the more harsh suspensions over the past five seasons have been for cross-checks that connect with the head.
This is a dangerous play. Matthews cross-checked Dahlin once, who responded by knocking him down without the use of his stick, and then Matthews cross-checked him again on the side of the head. Matthews used all of his body’s leverage to deliver a forceful blow.
In my opinion, I think this type of cross-check – given the totality of the circumstance – is deserving of a three-game suspension. But I don’t know if there is enough there to support that, between Matthews’ clean rap sheet and the relatively light previous suspensions.
The Verdict
Peel’s Verdict: 2-game suspension for Auston Matthews.
The Precedent
Sept. 26, 2021: Ottawa’s Ridly Greig suspended 2 games for cross-checking Pierre-Luc Dubois.
March 1, 2021: Edmonton’s Alex Chiasson suspended 1 game for cross-checking Jimmy Vesey.
Aug. 19, 2020: Philadelphia’s Matt Niskanen suspended 1 playoff game for cross-checking Brendan Gallagher.
Nov. 23, 2019: St. Louis’ Robert Bortuzzo suspended 4 games for cross-checking Viktor Arvidsson.
April 13, 2019: Toronto’s Nazem Kadri suspended 5 playoff games for cross-checking Jake DeBrusk.
Dec. 18, 2018: Edmonton’s Jujhar Khaira suspended 2 games for cross-checking Vince Dunn.
April 26, 2018: San Jose’s Evander Kane suspended 1 playoff game for cross-checking Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
April 17, 2018: Winnipeg’s Josh Morrissey suspended 1 playoff game for cross-checking Eric Staal.
Nov. 25, 2017: Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog suspended 4 games for cross-checking Matthew Tkachuk.