After Mike Matheson’s questionable hit, Eric Staal, Panthers, was removed from the game

The same day he received a $25,000 fine for criticizing officialsPaul Maurice, the Florida Panthers’ head coach, was also given cause to grumble.

This time around, Panthers forward Eric Staal was hit hard by Mike Matheson’s crushing reverse hit during the first period. Adding insult to injury, Matheson did not receive a penalty for what easily could’ve been deemed interference.

The Panthers later announced Staal (38) said that he wouldn’t be returning to the match. Officially, it was a upper-body injury.

There is no penalty but it is still possible to be discipline.

Matheson (28 years old) has only been expelled once during his NHL career. Back in 2018The league suspended him for two games after he slammed Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks centre, to the ice.

While Maurice may need to bite his tongue about a lack of a penalty on the play, it’s possible Matheson could receive supplemental discipline down the line, which has happened before with reverse hits. Although the play didn’t prompt an in-game penalty, the NHL suspended Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg three games for a reverse hit (labeling it interference) on New York Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey in 2018.

Eric Staal fighting to keep his NHL career alive

Staal has had at least one concussion throughout his long NHL career, which included 1,333 regular-season games and 83 playoff games. In 2017, Staal suffered a similar injury when he crashed head-first into a board.

Despite winning a Stanley Cup, making six All-Star games, and authoring multiple 40-goal seasons, Staal’s been willing to grind to keep his NHL career alive. He didn’t play in the league at all in 2021-22, instead captaining Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Only after impressing at training camp on a PTO did Staal cement a spot with this season’s Panthers.

Among a season of disappointments for Florida, it’s nonetheless impressive that Staal’s managed to suit up for 40 games, collecting seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. The experienced forward will hopefully bounce back after being hard hit by Matheson.

And, ideally for Maurice’s wallet, he’ll let that perceived missed call go.

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