Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault defended Matt Niskanen for his encounter with Brendan Gallagher of Montreal, saying it was “a hockey game that sadly hurt him a little”.
Niskanen will hold a hearing with the NHL’s Player Safety Division on Thursday about the incident that occurred in the third phase of the Flyers’ Game 5 loss on Wednesday.
“My assessment is that Gallagher got up and seemed fine. He spoke to the referees. The entire time he was on the bench, he spoke to our players for the rest of the game,” said Vigneault on Thursday. “Gallagher is a very competitive player but I don’t think it’s Nisky’s fault. [Gallagher] may not be as big as the others, but he’s just as big, if not bigger, than everyone else. “
Gallagher undergoes CT scans, but has yet to leave the bladder for more medical attention. The 5-foot-9 striker, an emotional leader for the Canadiens, lost at least one tooth in the game, which left his mouth bloody. Niskanen was not punished for the play.
The Canadiens survived the elimination with a 5-3 win, but the Flyers led the series 3-2 on Friday with Game 6. Gallagher scored the victory on Wednesday, his first goal of the postseason after leading all players in the playoffs with 37 shots.
At the Vigneault press conference he was asked in French whether the Canadians would rate Gallagher as “questionable” for Game 6. Vigneault started to laugh and replied in French: “When you see my smile, it says it all.”
Canadian interim coach Kirk Muller said the team had footage of the game it sent to the league.
“I think the video will definitely explain what you will see,” said Müller. “But we are confident that the video will show what it shows.”
Niskanen joined the Flyers on a trade from the Washington Capitals this season to add veteran experience on the blue line. He won a Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018. Niskanen is the second best Flyers defender on hold after Ivan Provorov.
The 33-year-old doesn’t have a long history with the player safety department but was fined $ 5,000 in February – the maximum allowed in the collective agreement – for a cut to Columbus Blue Jackets forward Gustav Nyquist. In the 2017 playoffs, Niskanen was able to evade suspension after checking Sidney Crosby’s head in Game 3 of the Capitals second round against the Penguins. The Crosby incident is not on Niskanen’s record and would not take into account the severity of the additional punishment.
The Canadiens vs. Flyers, who had been mostly a defensive fight, got nervous in Game 5. Montreal striker Jesperi Kotkaniemi was ejected after receiving misconduct over a goal against Philadelphia defender Travis Sanheim. Flyers defender Philippe Myers also received a heavy penalty for making contact with Jake Evans’ face after a scramble in front of the net.
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