Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson has been suspended two games for his hit on forward Elias Pettersson.
The hit occurred with 15:13 to go in the third period of the Panthers’ matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.
Elias Pettersson, who already had a goal to his name, was battling for a puck along the boards behind the Panthers’ goal.
Mike Matheson laid into the young forward and then proceeded to lead with his arms around the waist of Pettersson and instantly threw him down onto the ice.
The problem is that the puck was nowhere near Matheson nor Pettersson when the body slam was made, as it was actually in the clutches of Florida’s Jared McCann.
Mike Matheson's hit on Elias Pettersson will be talked about in the NHL offices long after a decision about a potential suspension is made.@JSportsnet explains why. pic.twitter.com/DtnR1U10xn
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 15, 2018
Pettersson remained on the ice for the next ten seconds next to head referee Francois St. Laurent. St. Laurent blew the play dead as Pettersson failed to get back up by himself off his knees.
St. Laurent held Pettersson as the two skated back to the Canucks’ bench. Pettersson would head straight back to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Elias’ condition was reconfirmed today, declaring that the 2017 1st round pick would miss one-to-two weeks with a concussion.
In result, he will miss somewhere between the next four or five games against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and possibly the Vegas Golden Knights. Pettersson had started the season strong with eight points in his first five games.
On the other end, Matheson will miss the Panthers’ next two games against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday (tomorrow) and the Washington Capitals on Friday night. He will return to the ice on 10/20 against the Detroit Red Wings at home.
Matheson is yet to register a point on the new season, and after being on the ice for Bo Horvat’s game-winning goal, his +/- returned to 0.
The Panthers have not confirmed any new players called up or any new line changes for Matheson’s replacement on line two with Mark Pysyk. The most likely replacements are Ian McCoshen and Jacob MacDonald, but where they play is yet to be confirmed.
Be sure to tune into tomorrow night’s game as the Cats head to Philly to take on the Flyers. 7 P.M. is puck drop! Follow us on Twitter for live coverage (including GIFS) of the game.