Ducks’ Gudas to return in rematch with Maple Leafs
It appears the Toronto Maple Leafs will have an opportunity to exact some revenge.
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas confirmed that he will play in Monday’s home game against the Leafs.
Radko Gudas confirms he will play tonight. @Ozoon_CA
Monday’s game between the Ducks and the Leafs comes roughly two and a half weeks after Gudas injured Toronto captain Auston Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit during a 6-4 Leafs win.
Radko Gudas has officially been suspended the maximum 5 games (for a virtual hearing) from this hit on Auston Matthews. Matthews was declared out for the season with a grade 3 MCL tear
The hit resulted in a torn MCL for Matthews, ending his season. Gudas was suspended five games for his actions, which was the fifth suspension of his career.
Gudas, 35, suffered an apparent lower-body injury during Anaheim’s 3-2 overtime win over the Calgary Flames on March 26th, which forced him to miss Saturday 4-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.
Radko Gudas is not taking warmup in Edmonton and won’t play against the Oilers. Here is video of the injury he suffered Thursday in Calgary. He was seen in a walking boot today. The Ducks’ next game is Monday at home against Toronto, and there is an intense spotlight on this Show more
The Czech national made it clear that he prioritized playing against the Leafs on Monday in order to answer for his hit on Matthews, despite dealing with his current injury.
“Stand behind my own mistakes,” Gudas said to the media. “I want to address it myself.”
Radko Gudas on why he’s playing through injury to face the Leafs tonight: “Stand behind my own mistakes. I want to address it myself.”
The Leafs faced some criticism for not immeditately standing up for Matthews when the injury occured, with Toronto defenseman Morgan Reilly stating afterwards that he takes “full responsibility” for not responding to Gudas in the moment.
With Gudas back for Monday’s game, there’s at least a decent chance the Leafs will seek retaliation for their captain’s season-ending injury. The rough stuff that could go down in this game is not lost on the league, either. George Parros, the president of the NHL Department of Player Safety, will reportedly be in attendance on Monday. Parros has been known to attend games where tensions could potentially boil over, so he can see first-hand if any on-ice actions merit league-levied discipline.
After Monday’s game against the Leafs, Anaheim will visit the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. The Leafs will follow right behind the Ducks and visit the Sharks on Thursday.