NHL watching close after Calgary Flames players target Leon Draisaitl’s injured ankle
By Zach Laing
1 year agoThe NHL is keeping a close eye on the Calgary Flames after they targeted Leon Draisaitl’s injured ankle late in game three.
With 11 minutes to go in the third period, the Oilers were on a powerplay and multiple Flames players took swings at Leon Draisaitl’s injured ankle.
And as The Nation Network’s Frank Seravalli said on today’s pre-game show, the league is keeping watch.
“It’s clear they’re targeting his injury. They know what it is. It’s a joint effort between the department of player safety, hockey ops and the series supervisor of this series, which is Don Van Massenhoven, who has been in the building every night. I am sure that the referees know about it heading into game four. If they see it, it will be called.”
It’s not the first time they poked at his ankle, either. During game two, Nikita Zadorov tapped Draisaitl’s ankles during a scrum late in the second period. It was Leon’s left ankle, not the injured right, but nonetheless, the intent was there.
I said it on the Oilersnation Radio podcast earlier today, but this stuff is really pathetic from the Flames. To target any player — from a rival or not — trying to worsen an injury is deplorable.
While Draisaitl recovers from what is believed to be a high ankle sprain suffered in game six against the LA Kings, he’s still been producing at a great rate. He’s scored two goals and 10 points in three games against the Flames in the playoffs, and appears to be getting stronger and stronger with each and every shift.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
Recent articles from Zach Laing
