The Penguins and Predators were just finishing up the second period of their Sunday game when Pens forward Evgeni Malkin took issue with Preds defender Mark Borowiecki. Malkin slashed Boro's stick in half and followed that up with a cross check to the face that busted the Preds defenseman open, potentially even knocking out some teeth. It was undoubtedly a dirty play that should see supplemental discipline from the league, but honestly these days, who knows?
If Auston Matthews got 2 games for cross cheking Rasmus Dahlin, what is Evgeni Malkin should get a much steeper punishment. In the Matthews/Dahlin incident, Dahlin didn't even miss a shift. In the Malkin/Borowiecki incident, Boro was definitely not so lucky.
The NHL claims to be cracking down on cross checks this season, but so far Matthews is the only one who seems to have been cracked down on. For the rest of the league, it seems, a $5000 fine is the standard.
Thanks to Matthews' suspension, every one of these cross checks will be compared to it by Leafs fans. This one definitely did a LOT more damage. It will be interesting to see whether or not Player Safety does their job here.
