Devils defenseman PK Subban could once again find himself in hot water with the NHL Department of Player Safety after making contact with Rangers winger Sammy Blais, resulting in a lower body injury that knocked Blais out of the rest of the game on Sunday.
Subban, who caught heat from the Rangers after sweeping Ryan Reaves’ skate out from under him during preseason action, has already been fined twice for tripping Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras and Calgary’s Milan Lucic this season, both of which happened in a span of eight days. The trip on Zegras resulted in a fine of $15,000 the largest allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Blais and Subban were both chasing the puck into the corner on Sunday night, and Blais won the race, but Subban, with an outstretched right leg, clipped Blais’ skate and cause Blais to fall awkwardly into the boards, causing an immediate stoppage of play. Blais had to be helped off the ice and couldn’t put any weight on his right leg.
“Subban sucks” chants began to rain down from the Madison Square Garden crowd, who booed Subban loudly every time he touched the puck for the rest of the game. There was no retaliation from New York, even when Reaves and Subban shared the ice together afterward, but head coach Gerard Gallant didn’t seem happy with the play.
“A lot like the Reaves one that I saw,” Gallant said when asked what he saw on the play.
Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said he had not yet seen the play, but from what he heard, there was “nothing there” in terms of foul play. Ruff was critical of Subban’s tripping earlier in the season.
As for Blais, Gallant didn’t have an update.
“I don’t know what’s gonna take place, because it didn’t look good to me,” Gallant said. “But I won’t know anything until tomorrow.”
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