Jacob Trouba Destroys Justin Barron with a Controversial, Suspendable Elbow to the Head
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson was given a whooping 17 penalty minutes tonight as he was ejected for instigating a fight with Jacob Trouba.
The New York Rangers captain is known for his physical playstyle and he often crosses the line, although he is rarely punished for it by the league, with just two career suspensions. Tonight he got into another mess as he crushed Canadiens defenseman Justin Barron against the boards half way through the 3rd period.
Following the hit on Barron, fellow Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson immediately went after Trouba, getting him to drop the gloves in what turned out to be a fairly short and uneventful fight as the linesmen stepped in quickly to break it up. After the dust settled, the referees handiled the situation by removing one of the players from the game in an attempt to calm things down. Trouba was given just five penalty minutes for fighting while Matheson was given a matching fighting major as well as an instigator penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. As there was less than 17 minutes left in the game, this resulted in Matheson being shown the door early.
Here is a better look at the hit on Barron. Obviously, Canadiens fans will be upset about the hit, especially since there was no penalty on the play. Trouba was only penalized for the fight. However, as far as Trouba is concerned, this was a fairly clean-looking hit. Still though, Trouba has a history with the Department of Player Safety, and could potentially be looking at a fine or suspension being handed out tomorrow. Be sure to keep an eye out for any announcements regarding the Rangers captain.
