Calgary Flames’ Andrew Mangiapane ejected from game for cross-checking

Calgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane has been ejected from Saturday’s game against the Seattle Kraken for cross-checking Jared McCann.

The incident occurred midway through the first period of the game, when McCann sprawled to block a shot, accidentally knocking Mangiapane slightly off balance. Mangiapane appeared to be frustrated with that, and gave McCann a cross-check to the upper back before then collecting the puck and firing a shot on net.

Mangiapane, 27, received a five-minute major penalty for the infraction, and was ejected from the game as a result. He had no points and 10 penalty minutes in 3:02 of ice time when he was ejected. There’s no word as to whether or not he will receive supplementary discipline for the penalty. The Flames came out even on the ensuing power play, as Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for the Kraken a bit over a minute into the power play while Martin Pospisil got a shorthanded goal in the final minute of it.

Mangiapane had managed to somewhat rebound offensively to start the year, with 4 goals, 3 assists, and 7 points in 11 games so far this season for the Flames. He also already had eight penalty minutes on the year before the 10 he got in Saturday’s game, although discipline has never been a significant issue for him, and he’s actually drawn 13 more penalties than he’s taken throughout his career.

Mangiapane was a sixth-round pick of the Flames in the 2015 NHL Draft, and has spent the entirety of his seven-season career in Calgary. He’s in the second year of a three-year contract with a $5.8 million cap hit, a deal that was signed in the 2022 offseason following an arbitration filing.

Mangiapane’s spot on the top line with Elias Lindholm and Jonathan Huberdeau has seen a steady rotation of players since his ejection, with Pospisil, Dillon Dube, and Walker Duehr all taking shifts on that line. Should Mangiapane face any more discipline for the infraction, Adam Ruzicka and Dryden Hunt are also on the roster to substitute into the lineup.