Did Tyler Kleven deserve a suspension for his cross-check on Jared McCann?
After the Ottawa Senators defeated the Seattle Kraken 7–4 on Saturday night, the Sportsnet panel got into a discussion about Senators defenceman Tyler Kleven and whether he should be suspended for cross-checking Seattle’s Jared McCann in the third period.
A couple of the panelists suggested Kleven might be looking at a suspension. They argued that “You can’t cross-check guys in the face.”
But there wasn’t much discussion about where the initial contact actually occurred.
Kleven’s stick appeared to make contact with McCann’s chest, and it only rode up higher because McCann was simultaneously delivering a cross-check of his own. As Kleven’s stick came up toward McCann’s chin, if it made contact there at all, McCann snapped his head back dramatically.
After a review, Kleven was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.
But the NHL Department of Player Safety didn't see enough there to warrant a suspension. Instead, the league fined Kleven $4,166.67 on Sunday, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, essentially a reminder to Kleven to be more careful.
Kleven had already been in a foul mood since the second period, particularly after the Kraken cut Ottawa’s lead to 4–2. Seattle rookie Jacob Melanson celebrated the goal by getting directly in Kleven’s face, staring him down and yelling at him, “Let’s go!”
The two exchanged shoves and continued to smash into each other for much of the rest of the night.
Under normal circumstances, losing Kleven for any amount of time wouldn’t be ideal, but the Senators could probably manage. However, with Jake Sanderson leaving Saturday’s game with what looked like a right shoulder injury and no update yet from the team, Ottawa may now need Kleven to take on a larger role down the stretch.
It’s also worth noting that the Kleven incident wasn’t the first time McCann drew attention for a dramatic reaction in the game. Late in the first period, Shane Pinto was called for a cross-check along the end boards and immediately protested that McCann had embellished. Cameras later caught Pinto in the press box laughing as he watched the replay on the scoreboard.
The Senators return to action Monday night in Vancouver.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News. Read more great Senators coverage and bookmark TheHockeyNews.com/Ottawa-Senators