The end of the duel between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday was tumultuous, to say the least. The two teams will thus be without their number 1 defender, Darnell Nurse and Alex Pietrangelo, in the next match.
Thanks to an inspired Stuart Skinner performance between the posts and a team effort on offense, the Alberta team prevailed 4-1 and leveled that second-round streak.
The game took a fairly predictable turn as the final minutes of the third period elapsed. Like the second game of the series, where 124 penalty minutes were awarded, the duel did not end very harmoniously.
Defender Alex Pietrangelo, who averages 24:36 on the ice per game, set things on fire with a vicious two-handed strike at Leon Draisaitl.
This gesture of frustration raised the ire of the Oilers, especially since the German star dominates the circuit with 13 goals since the start of the playoffs.
“We want the gesture to be revised, for sure, launched after the duel Connor McDavid, whose remarks were taken up by the ESPN network. I would like a suspension to be called. There was an intent to hurt. It was not a hockey gesture.
Head coach Jay Woodcroft, although more nuanced, agreed. He was nevertheless fined $10,000.
“If you ask me to share my opinion on this game, I would say that I don’t consider it a gesture of hockey either. But I won’t say more.”
McDavid and Woodcroft’s wish was granted, as Pietrangelo was suspended from one meeting for his gesture.
“In this case, the puck has left the stick [du joueur] for a while when Pietrangelo made his decision. He raises his stick and strikes at a vulnerable spot with enough force to justify an additional penalty,” the League said in an explanatory video, saying it took into account the history of Pietrangelo, who had never been suspended in close. of 1000 encounters at this level.