Golden Knights’ Alex Pietrangelo kicked out of Game 4 following vicious slash on Leon Draisaitl

Things got heated during the final few minutes of Game 4 between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

With just over one minute left on the clock in the third period and the Oilers up by a score of 4-1, Golden Knights defenceman Alex Pietrangelo gave Leon Draisaitl a vicious slash on his wrists. Draisaitl had carried the puck into Vegas’ zone and dumped it behind the net and Pietrangelo cut him off in the corner and threw the slash.

Pietrangelo was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. He was kicked out of the game and we’ll see later whether the league opts to hand Pietrangelo any additional discipline for the slash.

Following the game, Oilers captain Connor McDavid said he’d like to see Pietrangelo be suspended for the slash on Draisaitl.

Oilers head coach Woodcroft also weighed in on the slash: “If you’re asking my opinion on that play, I would not define it as a hockey play and I’ll leave it at that. I’m sure people will take a look at it.”

It was an out-of-character move for the veteran defender, who hasn’t been suspended at any point during his 15 years in the NHL and has received Lady Byng Trophy votes in seven of those seasons. The Oilers have been playing Pietrangelo hard in this series and a big hit from Evander Kane a few minutes earlier was likely what caused him to boil over.

The action continued after Pietrangelo was removed from the game. While the Oilers were on the ensuing power play, Darnell Nurse skated in from the blueline and dropped the gloves with Golden Knights defenceman Nic Hague. This scrap lasted for quite some time and both players got some big punches in.

It’s also worth noting that Nurse could potentially be suspended for this fight. As Michael Russo pointed out, instigating a fight in the final five minutes of a game means a player is subject to suspension, and Nurse was issued a five-minute major along with an instigator misconduct.