Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Thursday.
Scheifele is facing discipline after charging Montreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans following an empty-net goal late in the Jets’ 5-3 loss in Game 1 of the second-round series on Wednesday.
Scheifele was not offered an in-person hearing by the league’s department of player safety. Therefore, the maximum suspension he can receive is five games.
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Evans tucked the puck into the net to give the Canadiens their 5-3 lead with 57 seconds remaining in the third period. Scheifele, however, skated at full speed and lowered the boom on Evans, who was taken from the ice on a stretcher.
Scheifele was handed a major penalty and a game misconduct for the hit.
Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers attempted to shield in injured Evans with his body as tensions escalated following the hit.
Evans, who turned 25 on Wednesday, appeared to give a thumbs-up gesture as he left the ice.
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“It was a dirty hit but the league’s going to take care of it. If (Scheifele) gets back in the series we’re gonna make his life miserable,” Canadiens defenseman Joel Edmundson said after the game.
Scheifele, 28, recorded a team-leading 63 points (21 goals, club-best 42 assists) in 56 games this season. He has a team high-tying five points in the playoffs.
Scheifele has 507 points (201 goals, 306 assists) in 575 career games since being selected by the Jets with the seventh overall pick of the 2011 NHL Draft.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled to be played in Winnipeg on Friday.
–Field Level Media