Flames player Andrew Mangiapane suspended for one game for cross-checking Jared McCann’s head into the ice

Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane has been suspended for one game for checking Seattle Kraken forward Jared McCann during Saturday’s game, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.

In the first period, McCann reached out to block a backhand attempt by Mangiapane that almost certainly would have been a goal had he not blocked the shot. Mangiapane seemed to take this as an insult, and as McCann lay on the ice, Mangiapane checked him twice. The first was a blow to the leg, and the second blow pushed McCann’s face directly into the ice.

Here’s the play in question. Mangiapane was ejected and given a game penalty for willful assault, giving the Kraken a five-minute power play.

McCann left the game and walked through the tunnel into the dressing roomHe returned to the Kraken bench before the end of the first half and appears to have avoided a serious injury in this game.

The suspension is the first in Mangiapane’s career.

It’s an inexplicable decision by Mangiapane; there’s no justification for his attack on McCann. An undersized forward by NHL standards, Mangiapane is best known for scoring goals in droves and providing a secondary offense for a Flames team in desperate need of extra scoring. The 27-year-old had four goals and seven points heading into Saturday’s game.

McCann is off to a great start on offense, scoring six goals and nine points in 11 games, and is coming off the best season of his career, scoring 40 goals and 70 points.