Jack Eichel wasn't even penalized for his hit on Mattias Ekholm on Saturday night, but now after a closer look he's learned his suspension fate from the league following a play that many believed should have, at the very least been a two-minute minor penalty.
The rivalry between the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers has heated up in recent years, and on Saturday night it was at its most intense during Edmonton's 6-3 victory.
While the Oilers walked away victorious, it wasn't all good news for the team, as the NHL officials seemingly ignored a blatant call on Jack Eichel, who boarded Mattias Ekholm in very dangerous fashion, the with the veteran defenseman taking some time to get up from the play.
To anyone watching the game, this was a clear penalty, but for some reason, the officials on the ice didn't call anything, not even a minor penalty despite similar plays in recent times being called for five-minute majors.
Just as late as last week, Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was given a game misconduct for a similar play, with the inconsistency from the NHL officials showing on the ice during this matchup.
Despite that, there were calls from fans for the NHL's Department of Player Safety to take a look at this play, and now they have officially reached a verdict:
Unfortunately, the league have failed to come down hard on the Vegas Golden Knights once more, as Eichel escapes with no suspension, and while it's hard for fans to see plays like this and call for bias from the league, it's quite hard to ignore at this point.
Thankfully Ekholm was fine after the play, but given how dangerous this is, all fans are calling for is protection for the players and consistency, something we are yet to see from the league in 2024/25.
