Engvall ejected for intent to injure, could face a suspension
Things were going too smoothly for the Leafs during Thursday's matchup against the Kings. Up 4-0 early in the third period, they were dominating the game. Mitch Marner's point streak had already been extended to a monstrous 21 games. Things were looking perfect for the Leafs.
That's when Pierre Engvall found himself in a foot race with Kings defenceman and former Leafs prospect Sean Durzi. Durzi was able to hold Engvall up and narrowly win the race. Engvall was clearly unhappy with Durzi over the hold and hooked the LA defender into the boards. This started a shoving match that ended with nothing but hurtful words.
After the ensuing face off, Engvall and Durzi found each other at centre ice and exchanged pleasantries once again. This time Engvall ended up bringing his stick down on the back of Durzi's head. Accident, on purpose, accidentally on purpose? Who's to say? Engvall was ejected for the play and the Leafs were forced to kill a 5-minute major penalty.
Leafs fans in the building weren't happy with Durzi and neither was the Leafs bench for that matter. For quite some time afterward, Durzi was booed heavily by fans in the building. In the end, it didn't matter. The Leafs ended up taking this one 5-0.
No announcement has come as of yet regarding supplemental discipline. With George Parros running the Department of Player Safety, it wouldn't shock me to see Engvall have to sit for a game or two after this one, even though most of these types of infractions end with nothing more than a fine.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 434 ANSWERS Engvall ejected for intent to injure, could face a suspension Should Engvall be suspended? | ||
| No, Durzi is a bad actor | 163 | 37.6 % |
| No, but he should be fined | 145 | 33.4 % |
| Yes, 1 game | 71 | 16.4 % |
| Yes, 2+ games | 55 | 12.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
