Minnesota Wild blueliner Matt Dumba won't face any supplemental discipline for his monstrous hit on Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski in Game 1 of their first-round series on Monday night, according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.
“NHL Player Safety will NOT have a hearing for Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Duma after his hit took center Joe Pavelski out of Game 1 last night,” Wyshynski tweeted on Tuesday.
“Source tells me it was considered ‘close to being late,' but within allowable window. Dumba was given a roughing minor.”
Matt Dumba lays a late hit on Joe Pavelski and receives a 2-minute minor penalty for roughing. pic.twitter.com/a6XTWf4Hup
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 18, 2023
Pavelski's teammate Max Domi was incensed by the huge check and went after Dumba, causing a significant scrum while Pavelski laid on the ice.
Dumba was originally given a major penalty for the check, but that was overturned on review. Both Dumba and Domi got two-minute minors in the affair.
“No hit to the head, no charge, no interference, no suspension coming for Dumba,” wrote Daily Faceoff's Matt Larkin on Tuesday. “No one likes to see a player suffer such an ugly injury as a result of any hit. But the truth is: as long as hitting is legal, we’re going to see injuries from time to time even on relatively clean hits. We don’t have to love what Dumba did to Pavelski, but that doesn’t mean it was illegal.”
Many on social media believed the hit was indeed illegal, and the NHL's final decision on the matter will certainly be a controversial one. The Department of Player Safety has long been criticized for not doing enough to protect players from dangerous hits.
It was already an extremely physical rivalry between two tough teams, and it only figures to get more intense as the games get more crucial.
Matt Dumba will need to keep his head on a swivel for the rest of the series.
Follow Us
Subscribe