Sidney Crosby went after Michael Matheson tonight, and somehow only the Canadiens ended up shorthanded on the play in the Penguins' win.
The sequence started with Matheson driving the Penguins star into the Canadiens' open bench door. That kind of play can turn dangerous in a hurry.
Crosby didn't let it go. He came up and went after the back of Matheson's head, and the two got tangled up.
Only Montreal got the call. One reaction online asked what plenty of people were thinking: "Montreal gets the only penalty here? How??"
Fair question. Both players were part of it, and both crossed a line.
In the clip, Matheson rides Crosby into the open bench door, and Crosby comes right back at him from behind.
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Michael Matheson and Crosby should have gone to the box together
This should have been matching minors, one for each. Matheson put Crosby in a dangerous spot, and Crosby's response went well past a shove.
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The officiating looked shaky all night, and this play became the flashpoint.
Crosby is 39 now, carrying an $8,700,000 cap hit, and he's still willing to answer for himself. That part of his game hasn't aged a day.
Matheson, 32, carries a $6,000,000 cap hit and had an assist in Montreal's opening win in Toronto.
Calling only one side here is like a referee at recess punishing the kid who shoved first and ignoring the one who shoved back.
Dan Muse's Penguins host Winnipeg on Monday. Martin St-Louis' Canadiens host Carolina on Tuesday.
The Penguins got the two points. The Canadiens left the loser point after a great comeback.
Should Sidney Crosby have been penalized too on the Matheson play?
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