Sharks’ Joachim Blichfeld discusses hit on Nathan MacKinnon, suspension
San Jose Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld reiterated he wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt Nathan MacKinnon last week when he was assessed a match penalty and subsequently suspended for an illegal check to the head on the Colorado Avalanche center.
As he was skating toward the Sharks bench for a change, Blichfeld clipped MacKinnon’s shoulder and head with his left shoulder. MacKinnon went down on the ice, where he remained for a few moments as Avalanche players went at Blichfeld.
Blichfeld was given a match penalty for the high hit on MacKinnon at the 8:08 mark of the third period, a call that was upheld after officials reviewed the play. MacKinnon left the game to get examined and did not return.
Blichfeld argued in his hearing with the NHL last week that there was no intent to injure. But in handing out the suspension, the NHL ruled that the main point of contact from Blichfeld’s hit was MacKinnon’s head, and that contact with the head was avoidable. Blichfeld sat out both the Sharks’ losses to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday and Saturday.
“I was just trying to make a play and wanted to hit his chest and his shoulder,” Blichfeld said Monday. “Obviously, I didn’t want to hurt him and I hope he’s OK.”
MacKinnon has not played since the hit and will miss his third straight game Monday when the Avalanche host the Arizona Coyotes. Colorado coach Jared Bednar said that MacKinnon is “doing great” but was not an option to play because of the league’s medical protocols.
“It’s MacKinnon, he’s a really good player and I didn’t want to hurt him,” Blichfeld said. “So it was just unfortunate and like I said, I hope he’s OK.”
“There was no intent,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Monday of Blichfeld’s hit. “It’s good that it was only a couple games for him, and we get him back playing.”
Depending on whether Timo Meier is available, Blichfeld could return to the lineup Monday night as the Sharks’ host the St. Louis Blues to close out a seven-game homestand. Meier has a lower-body injury and was a scratch for Saturday’s game with the Golden Knights.
Boughner said Meier looked good when he skated Monday morning, but that his availability wouldn’t be determined until before game time.
While it’s not something that Blichfeld is overly concerned about, the $12,701.14 of his salary that he had to forfeit as part of the suspension is not an insignificant amount of money for a player who hasn’t accrued that many NHL games.
Per CapFriendly, Blichfeld has a base salary of $700,000 when he’s in the NHL and $70,000 when he’s in the AHL. Blichfeld has played in six games for the Barracuda this season but just the one NHL game on March 3 when he received a match penalty and a subsequent suspension for his hit on MacKinnon. Blichfeld also played three NHL games last season.
“In his situation, being on a two-way contract and being in the minors most of the start of the season, I think that’s big on the pocketbook,” Boughner said. “A little different probably if it was an established NHL guy that’s been playing for a while, but that’s a big hit to a guy like that.”
Blichfeld is in the final year of a three-year entry-level deal and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
“It definitely (stinks) but you just want to be out there and play,” Blichfeld said of the fine. ”So the worst thing was I didn’t get to play for two games, but luckily we had it back-to-back and it’s over now and we’re playing again tonight.”
HERTL UPDATE: Boughner said Tomas Hertl was going to be undergoing testing Monday as part of the process for getting back into the Sharks’ lineup.
Hertl, 27, first entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol on Feb. 24 as he had to start isolation after a positive coronavirus test.
Hertl was eligible to end his isolation after 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, at least 24 hours have passed since he last had a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications, and other symptoms have improved. If at that point is it determined that Hertl no longer presented a risk of infection to others, he could begin cardiac testing.
It’s possible if everything goes well that Hertl could return to the Sharks’ lineup when the team plays the Anaheim Ducks on Friday and Saturday. The Sharks are scheduled to practice Wednesday and Thursday before they depart for Southern California.
GOALIE MATCHUP: Devan Dubnyk will start for the Sharks, marking the first time this season he has started in consecutive games. Dubnyk stopped 28 of 32 shots in the Sharks’ 4-0 loss to the Golden Knights on Saturday.
Ville Husso will start in for St. Louis. The last time the Sharks faced the Blues on Feb. 27, Husso stopped 19 of 21 shots in a 7-6 St. Louis win. Husso in that game replaced Jordan Binnington, who was pulled after he allowed four goals on 19 shots. Binnington lost his composure as he left the ice surface, faking a punch to Erik Karlsson’s face and shoving Dubnyk.