Pierre Engvall’s clean reputation could not pardon him after what the NHL Department of Player Safety saw as dirty stick-work.
The Maple Leafs winger will serve a one-game suspension for Thursday’s high stick to the back of the helmet and neck of Los Angeles defenceman Sean Durzi — “a directed swing from a dangerous height with some force”.
The verdict was released Friday evening after a phone hearing.
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While Toronto teammates hoped the play would be interpreted as Engvall following through in a high stick exchange with Durzi, the DOPS video pointed out theat the trajectory of the shaft and blade were not consistent with a player losing control of his stick or being off- balance.
The office did note that Engvall had not been suspended or fined in 195 NHL games.
Ironically, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said recently that he could live with Engvall not playing on the edge as many of those with his mammoth dimensions, 6-foot-5, 219 pound, often do. He values the Swede as a strong skater, checker, penalty-killer and a scorer. Engvall scored the first goal in Thursday’s 5-0 win.
“It was unfortunate, I’m not sure if he did it on purpose,” winger Wayne Simmonds said of the Durzi hit. “But either way, stuff like that happens sometimes.”
Engvall practised Friday, but will miss Saturday’s home game against the Calgary Flames.
PATCH KIT NEEDED AGAIN
In a season already full of absentees, Keefe is used to having his starting lineup in a state of flux.
Friday’s practice was missing injured winger Nick Robertson, who has a significant shoulder injury yet to be fully diagnosed until MRI results come back, while replacement Joey Anderson was in transit from the farm team Marlies and wouldn’t be available until Saturday’s warmup.
Calgary plays an abrasive style, thus Simmonds was already pencilled in to play, though no Engvall means Keefe will work in Anderson, who has been limited to six NHL games since arriving from New Jersey two years ago.
Scratched for the past two games, Simmonds looked forward to a return.
“We’re not going to out-physical Calgary, we know that,” Simmonds said. “But we have to bring a physical brand of hockey which I think we’ve been doing.
“Last night, Zach (Aston-Reese) did an unbelievable job, with a big hit. Their guy challenged him (drawing a costly penalty which resulted in the Engvall goal) and he took care of business.”
ALL THAT NAZ
The Flames played on Friday in Columbus, but expect Nazem Kadri to be fired-up for a homecoming.
He plays his first Toronto game since winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado, a feat he took great delight in as proof he wasn’t a playoff liability as a Leaf.
Toronto’s new disruption dynamic features winger Michael Bunting and the joint presence of Kadri should further enliven the atmosphere at Scotiabank Arena.
“Kadri plays on that edge as well, he brings a lot to the table every night,” Bunting praised. “He’s coming back, I’m sure he’ll bring his ‘A’ game.”
While Bunting usually plays with Auston Matthews and William Nylander, it was Denis Malgin practising in Robertson’s left wing spot with John Tavares and Mitch Marner. The latter is striving for 22 straight games with a point to extend his franchise record.
CLIMBING WINS LADDER
A victory Saturday will move Keefe past the late Pat Burns and Red Kelly into fifth in Leafs coaching wins with 134. But the two men and all of those ahead of Keefe (Punch Imlach, Pat Quinn, Hap Day and Dick Irvin) have a combined 46 playoff series wins, a minimum three each, where Keefe is 0-for-3 so far.
“(Burns and Kelly) certainly are good company and people whom I have tremendous respect for,” Keefe said. “But (such milestones) are not anything I pay any sort of attention to, other than to say I’m fortunate to coach a good team here and a good organization that has put me in position to succeed and facilitate that in regular season.
“We’re building towards a team that can advance in the playoffs, but we can’t be in the playoffs today or tomorrow. Just continue to work our way there and put ourselves in the best position possible to get over that hump.”
LOOSE LEAFS
Matt Murray, who had a 4-0 shutout in Dallas before Ilya Samsonov did likewise against the Kings, is expected to start Saturday … Since Nov. 1, the Leafs have just one regulation loss and a .933 save percentage … With his successful coach’s challenge to wipe out a Kings’ power-play goal, Keefe is now 10-1 with the appeal process … The Leafs kept their dressing room closed post-practice for a few extra minutes on Friday so they could watch the penalty kicks phase of the Brazil–Croatia World Cup soccer match on a big screen. “That looks like fun,” Murray said of the pressure-packed tiebreaker with much of the world watching. “When it comes down to that, it’s pretty exciting. That Croatian goalie will be enjoying himself the rest of today I’m sure” … While Engvall sits one game, Marlies forward Adam Gaudette was assessed a three-game suspension by the AHL on Friday for “an interference incident” Wednesday in Belleville.
lhornby@postmedia.com
