Fine Or Suspension Likely For Leon Draisaitl After Dirty Move

PUBLICATION

James Connelly
November 14, 2023 (1:05 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

Leon Draisaitl had a strong game against the New York Islanders last night but he let some old feelings boil over resulting in an incredibly dirty play.

Draisaitl Cross-Checks Rival Horvat

Typically when a player cross-checks an opponent, they are aiming for their lower back in an effort to rattle them a bit. Anything higher than the neck or lower than the waist is typically viewed as intolerable by NHL Player Safety.

Last night during a board battle with Bo Horvat, a hunched-over Leon Draisaitl gave a nasty cross-check to Horvat's knees.

Horvat fell to the ice instantly as his balance was thrown off and Draisaitl skated away. Draisaitl did get a tripping penalty for this play but it is clear that it was more of a cross-check.

We now await word from Player Safety on if Draisaitl will have a hearing or if he will be fined or if nothing will happen at all.

Draisaitl's Dominant Game

While Draisaitl did let his frustration get the best of him on this play, he also had one of his best games of the year. In a 4-1 victory, Draisaitl had one goal and three assists getting involved in every scoring play.

Draisaitl is now at 19 points through 14 games. He will look to continue this pace in an effort to get the Oilers out of the basement of the standings.

As seen on Blade of Steel - Draisaitl tries to intentionally injure Islanders forward with dirty stick work