Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield is expected to avoid any disciplinary action following his takedown of Washington Capitals forward Connor McMichael on Wednesday night.
Sportsnet confirmed on Thursday that Chatfield will not receive supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety after he slammed McMichael to the ice during a fight.
This news was initially reported by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.
The incident occurred during a heated third period. Chatfield grabbed McMichael`s jersey from both the front and back and forcefully brought the Capitals player, who was not wearing a helmet, down to the ice.
McMichael was not injured in the play. Both players received five-minute major penalties for fighting and 10-minute game misconducts.
The game between McMichael and Chatfield concluded a stretch of heightened penalties in the third period, with a total of 120 penalty minutes assessed, including 10 minor penalties, four fighting majors, and eight misconducts.
The Hurricanes won the game with a score of 5-1.
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery expressed after the game that he felt some questionable plays had gone unpenalized by the referees.
`There were a few plays prior to the Chatfield takedown that raised concerns about player safety,` Carbery told reporters. `Players are generally good at self-regulating dangerous plays, but there were a few instances where the temperature started to rise.`
Carbery added, `In games like this, especially with the score difference, if referees miss calls, players might take it upon themselves to police the game, and player safety can become a concern. Naturally, players will stand up for their teammates.`
