The Vegas Golden Knights didn’t escape Rogers Place with their four-game win streak in tact Saturday, but Jack Eichel managed to get away with one.
With three-and-a-half minutes left in the second period of a game the Edmonton Oilers won 6-3, the Golden Knights centre was chasing the puck into the corner alongside Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm, who found himself on the wrong end of a dangerous cross-check that sent the six-foot-five Swede precariously into the boards.
Ekholm barely had a chance to get his hands — still clutching his stick after having taken a swipe at the bouncing puck — up to absorb the blow as his helmet appeared to make first contact, while the rest of his body made an abrupt stop.
Play was stopped as the expected scrum ensued, with Ekholm reaching into the crowd to share some choice words while face-washing Eichel with a gloved hand, as fellow Golden Knights forward Mark Stone came to his defence.
Adding insult to injury, as the dust settled and the scene of the crime cleared out, no penalty was called and the puck — despite the play ending to the right of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, well in Edmonton’s zone — was dropped at centre ice, instead of the dot either inside or outside of the nearest blue line.
A puzzled Ekholm was left pleading his case with referee Francis Charron.
“It’s pretty self-explanatory. But the explanation I got from him was he didn’t think the cross-check was that forceful,” Ekholm said. “Obviously, I think it’s a penalty. If I were to do that to somebody and get two minutes I wouldn’t say a word about it.
“It’s a dangerous play.”
As was the one involving Quinn Hughes cross-checking Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris from behind, face-first into the boards on Nov. 23, which resulted in the Vancouver Canucks defenceman getting ejected from the game.
But Eichel didn’t even have to serve the minimum two minutes.
“You’re in a vulnerable position. When you cross-check somebody it doesn’t matter how hard it is,” Ekholm said. “It’s the end-result that matters. Going headfirst into the boards isn’t very comfortable.”
Nor was it an easy thing to watch from the Oilers bench.
“It’s tough. It wasn’t hard, but he gives him a push from behind and he goes in very awkwardly and I didn’t like it,” Knoblauch said. “It was not a penalty, that was the explanation I got.”
Oilers captain Connor McDavid was on the edge of the crowded melee, and quick to approach Charron once it cleared.
“What I heard from Connor right away was he (Charron) thought it was a battle,” Ekholm said. “I don’t see it as a battle.”
Charron, the son of former NHLer Guy Charron, is an experienced NHL official, having worked a couple Stanley Cup Finals.
“I’ve had Francis for a long time and I respect him, but he missed the call,” Ekholm said. “That’s going to happen.
“Thankfully I’m all good. I have my opinion and he has his.”
As for Eichel, he didn’t have much to say to Ekholm following the hit.
“Uh, no,” said Ekholm, who took his pound of flesh out of Vegas on the scoreboard. “Do I think we played perfect tonight? No. But playing against that team, we know each so well you just have to get the win.
“We got up to 5-0 and took our foot off the gas a bit. We can’t do that against that team, they’re way too dangerous for that, with them getting two quick ones (26 seconds apart). But a big goal by (Jeff) Skinner to settle things down. We’re getting reps at closing out games (with leads going to third). We’re doing pretty good at it but still room for improvement.”
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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge