Montreal Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta has been suspended two games for his illegal check against Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie.
Montreal’s Michael Pezzetta has been suspended for two games for an Illegal Check to the Head on Washington’s T.J. Oshie. https://t.co/AOkhrJBlnM
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 18, 2022
Michael Pezzetta Suspended Two Games
It occurred during their matchup on Saturday, after Pezzetta hit Oshie in the head with a check. It occurred during a struggle for the puck near the boards.
Pezzetta, 24, has 5 goals for 8 points this season with 74 penalty minutes. this is also Pezzetta’s rookie season in the NHL, as he has spent his entire professional hockey career with the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate.
Oshie, 35, has 23 points in 37 games this year and has struggled with concussion issues throughout his career, recording a total of four. This cause for concern is what lead to the suspension for Pezzetta, instead of a fine.
What This Means For The Canadiens
Considering that Pezzetta is having a breakout rookie year, this is a bit of a blow for the Canadiens. He has been one of their better rookies and has been a bright spot on an otherwise bleak Canadiens roster. They are lucky Oshie didn’t get another concussion, or else the outcry would have been way worse. This also takes up a third of the Canadiens’ remaining games, as they only have six games remaining on the schedule. All but two games are against playoff teams as well, so this isn’t a great time for Pezzetta to get suspended.
Although, the Canadiens are fighting for last place so they shouldn’t be too concerned with this. The Canadiens are 31st out of 32 teams in the league, with only the Arizona Coyotes behind them with 49 points. The Canadiens currently have 51 points on the season.
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