Nick Ritchie to have hearing for slashing Kevin Shattenkirk

Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Ritchie will receive a hearing today after slashing Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.

The play occurred in Friday night’s game against the Ducks late in the first period when Ritchie and Shattenkirk were up against the boards, and unpleasantries were exchanged between the two, before Dominik Simon stepped in to stick up for Shattenkirk. Ritchie received a penalty during the play for roughing Simon, but nothing for Shattenkirk.

Ritchie has been suspended just once up to this point in his career, receiving a two game suspension in 2017 for roughing at-the-time Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival while he was a member of the Ducks. He missed the final game of the regular season, as well as the Ducks first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that year.

Ritchie has turned around his season since joining the Coyotes, as he started the season with just two goals and nine points in 33 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs before getting dealt to the Coyotes along with a conditional pick for Ilya Lyubushkin and Ryan Dzingel. In 17 games with the Coyotes, he has eight goals and 10 points.

While his newfound production will be missed in Arizona, it won’t hurt them too much at this point of the season, as they sit well out of a playoff spot with a 21-42-5 record, which puts them last in their division by 11 points. Their next two games are against the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, which Ritchie might miss if he gets suspended for a game or two.