NHL suspends Soucy for one game for cross-checking McDavid

The Vancouver Canucks will be without Carson Soucy on their blue line in Game 4 against the Edmonton Oilers.

The slender defenseman was suspended one game by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for punching Connor McDavid in the face after Game 3 on Sunday night. Nikita Zadorov was also fined $5,000 for his involvement in the incident, as he checked McDavid from behind shortly before Soucy’s punch.

“We recognize Soucy’s argument that Zadorov’s crosscheck is strong enough to cause a change in McDavid’s position and could contribute to Soucy’s crosscheck landing on the head,” the DoPS explain in their suspension video. “However, that does not change the fact that Soucy’s actions deserve additional discipline. This happens long after the game is over and it’s not a hockey game.”

With calls for a suspension in the national media, including respected elder statesmen like Craig Button and Eric Duhatschek, a one-game suspension is likely the best-case scenario for the Canucks. Some on the Oilers side were practically screaming for blood.

It was clear to Soucy that he didn’t want to hit McDavid in the face.

“Obviously it was just an unfortunate incident because of the timing,” Soucy said. “As you’ll see later, it’s almost just an excuse, I didn’t mean to bring him up so high. He was obviously pretty upset because it looks bad – he probably felt bad. Finally I just thought, ‘Hey, there.’ “It wasn’t the intention to get you that high. It’s just the emotions that run high in that scrum at the end of the game.”

What’s notable is that McDavid is reportedly doing perfectly well. He didn’t suffer an injury during the game – at least not one serious enough to warrant mention – and there’s no indication he’ll miss a game. That’s different from Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins, who missed Game 4 of their series against the Florida Panthers after being brutally beaten by Sam Bennett, who didn’t even receive a fine.

I would just like to point out that the DoPS does not have the best track record in terms of consistency in its decisions.

Unsurprisingly, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet felt the same way about the incident as his defenseman.

“In the playoffs there’s a lot of scrums, a lot happens,” Tocchet said. “It’s unfortunate that Connor was hit from behind by Z and then of course what happened to Souc. His intention was probably to hit him in the chest after cutting him. It’s unfortunate that he went down.”

Tocchet also pointed out that McDavid wasn’t the only player in the postgame huddle to get crosschecked in the face.

“You know, it’s a scrum — Z was checked by (Zach) Hyman afterward,” Tocchet said. “It’s sad. I think there are a few incidents that George is watching right now.”

Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy noted that, unlike McDavid, Zadorov was injured in the game and required stitches for a cut on his face.

The DoPS always says that it examines all aspects of a move that results in a ban. In theory, they would have seen this cross-check from Hyman, which on the surface seems much more intentional than Soucy’s. Zadorov is 1.95 meters tall and the 1.95 meter tall Hyman had to raise his stick quite high to hit Zadorov in the face.

Of course, this is the same DoPS who admitted they didn’t even see the alternate replay angle of Bennett’s sucker punch on Marchand that showed the violation more clearly, so perhaps they’re not as thorough as they claim to be.

For the Canucks, Soucy missing a game likely means Noah Juulsen will move into the lineup. Juulsen played 54 games for the Canucks this season, filling in for injuries such as Soucy. He also appeared in a first-round playoff game against the Nashville Predators.

“We’re lucky to have him now as our seventh D ‘technically’,” Tocchet said, making air quotes with his fingers. “He made a huge contribution all year and played in some tough spots. We have great confidence in Juuls.”

Juulsen has seen a significant turnaround since the start of the season, when his numbers trended toward becoming one of the worst defensemen in the NHL. Through diligent and hard work with the Canucks’ coaching staff, particularly Adam Foote, Juulsen completely turned his game around and became a solid third-team defenseman.

Most importantly, Juulsen was one of the Canucks’ best penalty takers during the regular season. Considering the Oilers’ power play is at 50% in this series and is only low because some of their power plays were shortened by their own penalties, perhaps the addition of a penalty specialist isn’t the worst thing.

“It’s next man up,” Tocchet said. “We’ve been doing this all year.”

With right-shot Juulsen subbing in for left-shot Soucy, that probably means Ian Cole returns to his natural left side. Hopefully this will help Cole restart his game as he has struggled in the first three games.

Assuming the red-hot Zadorov gets second-pairing minutes alongside Tyler Myers, the Canucks will likely line up with the following pairings:

Quinn Hughes – Filip Hronek
Nikita Zadorov-Tyler Myers
Ian Cole-Noah Juulsen

Cole and Juulsen put up some solid baseline numbers as a pair during the regular season. The only concern would be how they handle the Oilers’ speed, as Cole and Juulsen are the Canucks’ least mobile defenders.

As for Soucy, it will be difficult for him to miss a game.

“Obviously at this point in a close series like this – in a physical series – it would suck,” Soucy said before the suspension was announced. “I know the guys will come forward if that’s the case, but it sucks having to look after your team.”