Vancouver Canucks defenceman Nikita Zadorov has been fined US$5,000 for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid. Fellow defenceman Carson Soucy was handed a one-game suspension for also cross-checking the Oilers’ superstar.
The cross-checks happened at the end of Sunday night’s game in Edmonton.
At the buzzer, McDavid and Canucks defenceman Carson Soucy exchanged slashes. McDavid was then cross-checked by Soucy and Zadorov, setting off a post-game scrum.
The NHL’s department of player safety said Monday morning US$5,000 is the maximum fine allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.
When asked about the hit on Monday, McDavid said he didn’t want to get into it too much.
“It’s part of a heated series,” he said, adding when you get two Canadian teams going at it, there’s a lot of passion.
“I feel great. It’s a tough game. They’ve got big D men, they make it hard on you. They play physical.”
Sunday’s Game 3 saw the Oilers fall to the Canucks 4-3. The Canucks lead the best-of-seven playoff series 2-1.
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“I thought we were the better team for the most part and, in my eyes, it should have resulted in a win, but that’s not the way hockey works sometimes,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said after the game.
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner was pulled from the game after the second period, after allowing four goals on 15 shots.
“Last night I think the emotions kind of caught up with me,” Skinner said Monday. “It was tough mentally, definitely, last night. Obviously, you never want to get pulled in a game. You feel like you let down the team.
“I’ve got some work to do here to get back at it and learn from the mistakes that I’ve been making.”
When asked if he was getting the start Tuesday, Skinner said, “no idea.”
“We’re going to see it on the board tomorrow.”
Head coach Kris Knoblauch wouldn’t bite when asked who would get the start.
“I’ll let you guys know tomorrow morning,” Knoblauch said Monday, adding Skinner has bounced back well in the past following tough losses.
“Playoffs, last night… I’m sure we know he can play better than that. We’ve got two great goalies. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been very happy with the goalies we’ve had. The level of play that they’ve given us, I’ve been very fortunate to have,” he said.
Knoblauch said they have a big decision to make, but added he has confidence in both goaltenders.
“If it’s Stu, I’ve got confidence that he will bounce back. If it’s Picks (Calvin Pickard), I know that he can play and give us a solid performance when he hasn’t played for long stretches of time. He’s shown it throughout the regular season.”
At the other end of the ice, Vancouver’s rook goaltender Arturs Silovs made 42 saves.
“I thought he played an amazing game,” Skinner said. “He’s been really solid for those guys, especially with the lack of experience at the NHL level. It’s very impressive to see him doing this.”
Skinner added he’s not overly worried about the guy at the other end, and his focus is his game.
“My job is to keep the puck out of the net.”
McDavid said he and the team have “all the faith in the world in Stu.”
“Stu’s always bounced back well,” the captain said. “Our group has always bounced back well. That’s something that we do well and I expect Stu and our group to respond.”
Adam Henrique is still listed as day-to-day, Knoblauch said. Henrique missed Game 1, played in Game 2 but then missed Game 3 on Sunday night.
Knoblauch said Henrique felt comfortable playing in Game 2, but playing a game with contact is a little bit different than going on the ice doing skating drills.
“Probably just wasn’t quite ready and possibly Game 4, maybe 5. We’ll see,” Knobluach said.
The Oilers and Canucks practised in Edmonton on Monday before Game 4 of the series at Rogers Place on Tuesday night. The puck drops on Game 4 shortly after 7:30 p.m. MT.
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