Colorado Avalanche fans were left bewildered during Tuesday night's clash against the Edmonton Oilers when Nathan MacKinnon was unexpectedly ejected. The referees ruled his actions as dangerous and intentional, a call that left many scratching their heads.
The decision to hand MacKinnon a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct seemed excessive. A two-minute penalty might have been frustrating, but it would have been far more palatable than what transpired.
Here's how it went down: MacKinnon was skating toward Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram when he was nudged by an Edmonton player, causing him to collide with Ingram. As Mark Rycroft from Altitude pointed out, MacKinnon is not the type to intentionally run into a goalie. If he hadn’t been pushed, he would have likely avoided contact altogether.
This incident marked the first game misconduct of MacKinnon's career, underscoring his reputation as a clean player. While some rival fans might disagree, it's hard to find evidence of MacKinnon playing dirty.
Despite Ingram's injury and concussion evaluation, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar disagreed with the major penalty call.
If MacKinnon faces a suspension or fine, he’s likely to appeal. The league has undoubtedly reviewed the play multiple times, and it would be surprising if they upheld the call, knowing the referee might have erred. With the Avalanche facing the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, it seems probable that MacKinnon will receive a warning rather than a fine.
Given MacKinnon's clean track record, a warning would make sense. Any harsher penalty would be a mistake by the league. We should have more clarity on this by Friday.
Stay tuned for updates.