Matthew Tkachuk, Paul Maurice don't believe Sam Bennett should face any supplemental discipline
During last night's game, Leafs winger Matthew Knies was forced to leave the game after a dangerous incident involving Sam Bennett in the first period. Not only did Bennett wrap his arms around him before slamming him to the boards, he then grabs him by the neck and slammed Knies down onto the ice. The rookie skater did not return to the game when the second period began and the Leafs were forced to skate with 11 forwards.
No penalty was called on the play and now the debate will rage on as to whether or not it deserved attention from Player Safety. Matthew Tkachuk doesn't think so, as he was seen laughing when asked about the hit. The forward also said that he does not believe that Bennett will or should hear from Player Safety.
As for their head coach in Paul Maurice, he is seemingly fed up with what he believes are the officials and the Department of Player Safety ganging up on his club:
"I think we've been on the other side of the ledger enough," said Maurice when asked whether or not he felt that Bennett deserved a hearing for his mauling of Knies.
He was seen near the end of Game 1, signaling to the officials with hand gestures that the penalty disparity was 5-1 against his side. Safe to assume that he also doesn't believe the Sam Bennett play was worthy of a suspension, let alone a penalty.
When it comes down to the NHL and their handling of suspensions, it's honestly anyone's guess as to who gets what and for how long. Some hits go unchecked, some get a minor suspension like Cale Makar's one-gamer, while others get the hammer for 3+ games like Michael Bunting.
The play on Knies did not look great and the overhead view was not any better. The rookie skater was doing great up until that point and it's anyone's guess as to when he returns to the lineup. The Leafs have already been on the record stating that it doesn't look good.
| POLL | ||
MAI 5 | 1374 ANSWERS Matthew Tkachuk, Paul Maurice don't believe Sam Bennett should face any supplemental discipline Does Sam Bennett deserve a suspension for what he did to Matthew Knies? | ||
| Absolutely | 1218 | 88.6 % |
| No, not really | 116 | 8.4 % |
| Maybe just a fine | 40 | 2.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
