Calgary Flames striker Milan Lucic was considered a five-minute major and was sent off from Match 3 on Sunday night in Edmonton when he hit Oilers goalkeeper Mike Smith in the third period.
After Lucic left, Smith was suspended due to a concussion and went to the locker room with coaches, which led the Oilers to put Miko Koskinen in the goal. But Smith returned after four minutes of play. The Oilers then led 4-0.
“I don’t really know what happened,” Smith said after the game. “I was outside, playing the puck and suddenly I was buried in the boards … When they push through the end wall and you don’t expect it, it’s not an ideal situation.”
Lucic’s punch, which brought him a major charge and 10 minutes of misconduct, sparked a brawl behind Oilers’ door as Smith’s teammates came to his aid. Three players from each team, apart from Lucic, were assessed as minors and sent to the penalty area. Matthew Tkachuk executed Lucic’s penalty.
Smith conceded a goal on his return, but the Oilers won 4-1 and took a 2-1 lead in the series.
The veteran goalkeeper admitted that he was reluctant to leave the game when the concussion observer deemed it necessary.
“It’s not an ideal situation to leave the match in the third period after 11 minutes until the end, but I understand the reason for that,” he said. “I think the player should have a say in this, but it’s obviously what it is.”
Flames head coach Daryl Sutter did not agree to the call.
“They called it charging, didn’t they?” he said after the match. “Can you imagine if (Lucic) loads up?” What would happen there? He actually tried to slow down a bit, I think. That’s it. That’s the result and who he was. “
Teammate Evander Kane, who scored a hat-trick in the match, did not strike any blows when asked to rate him. “Obviously he was disappointed with the playoffs, the management of our goalkeeper,” Kane said. “The referees made the right decision.”
It didn’t take long for Twitter to shine with different actions of the hit.
Add Comment