Vegas Golden Knights right winger Ryan Reaves has received a two-game suspension by the NHL for his play on Ryan Graves on Sunday when he threw the Colorado defenseman to the ice and knelt on his head. Reaves was ejected following the play, which was deemed roughing/unsportsmanlike conduct by the league.
The Avalanche would go on to win Game 1 of the second-round series 7-1. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in Colorado.
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said he believed Reaves’ intend was to injure someone in the third.
“I don’t know if you can call that physicality,” Landeskog said after the game. “That’s what he goes out and does. I’m sure the league will take a look at it. It was intent to injure.”
The Golden Knights, however, viewed it differently, as they perhaps were seeking revenge for a questionable illegal hit by Graves in the second period that knocked Vegas’ Mattias Janmark out of the game.
“He’s a defenseless player,” Stone said of Janmark on the play. “It’s blindside interference. We obviously didn’t like the hit, and we lost a player to an interference blindside hit. We’re trying to get those out of the game.”
This story will be updated.
