Blichfeld must sit 2 games for hit
He made illegal contact with Avalanche player
SAN JOSc » The NHL suspended San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld for two games Thursday for his illegal hit to the head of Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon.
Blichfeld, 22, will not be eligible to play again until Monday when the Sharks host the St. Louis Blues to close out a sevengame homestand. He will miss home games tonight and Saturday against the Knights.
Blichfeld, who had his hearing with the NHL’s Department of Players Safety after the Sharks held practice Thursday at SAP Center, was considered a firsttime offender.
Blichfeld was given a match penalty for the high hit on MacKinnon at the 8:08 mark of the third period of Wednesday’s 4-0 loss, a call that was upheld after officials reviewed the
play. MacKinnon left the game to get examined and did not return.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar indicated after the game that MacKinnon was OK.
As he was skating toward the Sharks bench for a change, Blichfeld clipped MacKinnon’s shoulder and head with his left shoulder. MacKinnon went down on the ice, where he remained for a few moments as Avalanche players went at Blichfeld.
In rendering its decision, the NHL noted that the main point of contact from Blichfeld’s hit was MacKinnon’s head, and that contact with the head was avoidable.
The Sharks felt that Blichfeld was not trying to hit MacKinnon in the head. The NHL, though, ruled that the angle of approach that Blichfeld took made it harder for him to avoid contact with the head.
With the suspension, Blichfeld will also forfeit $12,701.14 of his salary.
“I thought (Blichfeld) came across and was in a pretty good position when he hit MacKinnon,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Thursday morning before the suspension was announced. “He was in an athletic position, he didn’t extend an elbow, he didn’t try to get any part of his body elevated.
“I thought it was … a traffic play, head down, a guy trying to go through the body and unfortunately knocked him out of the game. But I don’t think there was any intent. I certainly don’t think there was any malicious act on (Blichfeld’s) part.”
The Sharks, who were down 2-0 at the time, gave up a goal to Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog on the ensuing five-minute power play.
After the game, the Sharks defended the 6-foot2, 190-pound Blichfeld, a player more known for his skill and his shooting ability than any excess physicality.
“It’s pretty hard when you look at something in 100 frames per second,” Sharks defenseman Brent
Burns said Wednesday night. “You have (MacKinnon), he skates so powerfully and he’s low. It’s hard. You put the player in a hard spot, because then you say, ‘boy, he’s not finishing his checks.’ What do you want them to do then? It’s hard.
“There’s a lot of things that can change. You can change angles, you can change stuff, but you got one of the best players in the world, you’re trying to take away time and space, and sometimes, you got to be physical.”
Blichfeld earned a recall from the Barracuda earlier this week after he had nine points in six AHL games. Last season, he had 32 points in 44 AHL games.
Blichfeld’s only other NHL games came last season.