Soucy was suspended for one game and Zadorov was fined for cross-checking McDavid

EDMONTON – Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy has been suspended one game for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.

A skirmish began after the final buzzer sounded in Vancouver’s 4-3 win in Game 3 on Sunday after Soucy pushed McDavid behind the Canucks’ net and McDavid responded by hitting Soucy’s leg with his stick.

Canucks blue liner Nikita Zadorov then checked McDavid from behind, and Soucy checked the Oilers captain in the face as he fell.

Soucy was assessed a minor penalty for the play and the NHL’s Department of Player Safety handed him a one-game suspension on Monday. In a video, she said the defender’s actions were “not a hockey game” and deserved additional discipline.

Zadorov was fined $5,000 by the NHL, the maximum amount under the collective bargaining agreement.

Vancouver leads the best-of-seven second-round series 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled for Tuesday night in Edmonton.

Soucy told reporters Monday that he wasn’t trying to hurt McDavid on the play.

“It’s just an unfortunate incident because of timing. … Obviously there was no intention to move a player that far up,” he said before the suspension was announced.

“Emotions run high in these crowds at the end of the game.”

Missing playing time would be difficult, the 29-year-old defender said.

“Obviously at this point it would suck, in a close series like this, in a physical series,” Soucy said. “I know the guys will step up if that’s the case. “But it sucks having to look after your team.”

McDavid said Monday he was feeling “great” and didn’t want to talk too much about the incident other than calling it “part of a heated streak.”

“It’s a tough game. They have big D-men. They make it difficult for you. They play physical, they play a physical brand of hockey and it’s fun to be a part of it,” the Oilers captain said.

“It’s fun to be part of this series. It’s obvious that two Canadian teams are very passionate about it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2024.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press