Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice wasn’t happy about the cross-check Chicago Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo delivered to Mathieu Perreault Friday.
“It was a vicious cross-check to an unsuspecting player,” Maurice told reporters after the Jets’ 4-2 win.
Carcillo was assessed a two-minute cross-checking minor with 10 seconds remaining in the second period, but some feel that isn’t sufficient punishment for a player with a history of cheap shots.
When asked if he thinks the NHL should take supplementary action, Maurice took the diplomatic route and said, “I’ll leave it to the league.”
Carcillo described the cross-check as “a hockey play” and wished Perreault well.
“To be honest, I wasn’t thinking about anything,” Carcillo told reporters Saturday. “I was on the ice for over a minute, I was pretty tired. Just kind of drifted down, he drifted into me…I must have just caught him between some padding. I’ve gotten hit there, too. It hurts.”
Perreault was hit in the shoulder/back area, left the ice labouring and didn’t return for the third period. According to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports, Perreault didn’t suffer any fractures but is expected to miss some games. Any time the 27-year-old misses will be a detriment to a streaking Jets roster. Perreault has nine points in his last six games, including a four-goal performance against the Florida Panthers Tuesday.
The Jets currently sit fourth in the Central Division and on Friday became the first team to post three regular-season wins at the United Center in Chicago since the 2006-07 campaign.
