Sabres angry with Ivan Provorov’s collision with goaltender Carter Hutton
No penalty was called on the play, which became dangerous when Buffalo defenseman Brandon Montour pushed Provorov off balance. Buffalo's coach didn't see it that way.
Buffalo Sabres coach Ralph Krueger was a little cranky after Tuesday night’s game, and not just because his team lost, 3-0.
It was a play early in the second period that had riled Krueger.
Ivan Provorov skated down the left side and fired a shot that was stopped by Buffalo goaltender Carter Hutton. As Provorov attempted a whack at the rebound, he was pushed off balance by Buffalo defenseman Brandon Montour and crashed dangerously into Hutton.
Montour then went after Provorov, who at this point was lying in the Sabres’ dislodged net, and threw a couple of punches to Provorov’s face.
Meanwhile, Hutton was down on his knees after Provorov’s right elbow had made contact with the side of Hutton’s head, causing him to lose his helmet.
The Flyers wanted a penalty on Montour. The Sabres wanted a penalty on Provorov. After the game, Krueger sounded like he wanted the league to look at the play. No penalties were called.
“If you look at the way the elbow comes extended, [as a player] you know what you’re doing,” the coach said, “and we will see where this takes us.”
I didn’t ask the Flyers about it after the game because no penalty was called and it seemed obvious Montour had caused the violent collision.
As NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Keith Jones said while analyzing the play, “Montour goes after Provorov, but it’s Montour’s fault there was any contact with his goaltender. He should have punched himself in the head.”
Hutton stayed in for the remainder of the second, but did not come out for the third period. “I think his adrenaline kept him going,” Krueger said. “It was a big hit.”
Hutton was replaced by third-stringer Jonas Johansson. Buffalo’s No. 1 goaltender, Linus Ullmark, was unavailable for the two games against the Flyers for “personal reasons,” according to the team.
Krueger already was in a foul mood after Flyers forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel was fined $4,633.62 for throwing a punch square to the mug of young defenseman Rasmus Dahlin late in Monday’s game.
“We were hoping for a suspension for a deliberate hit to the head,” he said of Aube-Kubel on Tuesday morning. “It looks like there won’t be one again. That’s something that’s a little bit frustrating.”
Krueger was even more distressed Tuesday night after Hutton’s injury.
“It’s really disappointing,” Krueger said. “It’s the fourth game where a player from ours has had a violent hit to the head, and hopefully there will be action for this one. ... [Hutton] had a terrific camp. He’s been excellent energy. He looked very strong [making back-to-back starts.] His loss definitely was a setback for us.”