NHL suspends Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews for two games

The NHL has suspended Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews two games for his Heritage Classic cross-check.

The incident happened with under five minutes to go in Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres while the Leafs were down 5-2 – mitigating factors in the suspension, the league said.

“While we acknowledge Matthews’ argument this is not a cross-check meant to harm or injure his opponent, it is also not a routine movement to box out an opponent or to gain body position,” the league said.

“Having just been involved in a shoving match with Dahlin that knocked him into the net, Matthews aggressively retaliates by raising his stick significantly and creating this contact.

“This is a high, forceful cross-check that makes contact with the opponent’s neck with sufficient force to merit supplemental discipline.”

Matthews was battling in front of the Sabres crease with defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and, at one point, Matthews was knocked to the ice. He got back up off the ice and delivered a cross-check to the head of Dahlin.

After the game, Matthews said he felt his cross-check hit Dahlin’s shoulder and rose upwards.

Matthews, who leads the NHL in goals with 45, will miss games Tuesday against the Dallas Stars and Thursday’s against the Carolina Hurricanes.

On Sunday night, DailyFaceoff analyst Tim Peel, a former NHL referee, suggested a two-game suspension would be sufficient.

“I feel that plays such as this one, and the kneeing sequence that earned teammate Jason Spezza a six-game suspension in December (later reduced to four games on appeal), are more calculated and deserve a more harsh suspension,” wrote Peel.

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Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

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