Ask Peelsy: How many games will both Brad Marchand and Marcus Foligno get?

There are two parts of this sequence that will be important for the Department of Player Safety.

The first, and maybe most critical, is that Marchand punched an unsuspecting Jarry in the face after the goalie made a save. Jarry appeared to make a comment to Marchand, but that shouldn’t matter. Jarry was punched by a gloved opponent while still down and looking at the puck in his crease.

Jarry did not exit the crease to participate in a scrum. This was a punch on an unsuspecting opponent who happened to be a goalie.

Marchand added an exclamation point to the sequence by then skating over and sticking Jarry in the helmet with his stick as he was on his way off the ice. I wasn’t as concerned about the stick to the helmet as much as the punch, but it certainly will not help Marchand’s case.

What will be interesting is the viewpoint of the official and his written postgame report that is filed to the league.

Referee Wes McCauley assessed Marchand a minor penalty for roughing and a match penalty, which is the most extreme penalty that can be handed out. It comes with an automatic review from the NHL and usually results from an intent or attempt to injure. Did McCauley see the punch as worthy of the match penalty, or the subsequent stick to the face?

One thing is clear: Marchand is almost surely heading toward his eighth career suspension and his second this season alone.

Marchand is considered a repeat offender, since he has already been suspended this season – three games in November for slew-footing Vancouver’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson – which will mean a bigger hit to his wallet.

Marchand, 33, has been suspended seven times for a total of 22 games, fined an additional five times and has forfeited a total of $971,397.61 in career earnings for his actions.

It’s possible that the NHL asks Marchand for an in-person hearing, which would allow for the possibility to suspend him for more than five games. But there does not appear to be a lot of precedent for a suspension of that length. Two recent suspensions for a punch to the head of an unsuspecting opponent come to mind: Detroit’s Dylan Larkin was suspended one game for roughing in October; Calgary’s Milan Lucic was suspended two games for roughing in November 2019. Then again, neither of them was on a goaltender who was not engaged in a scrum, and they were not Marchand.

Considering Marchand’s lengthy rap sheet with the Department of Player Safety…

Peel’s Verdict: Three-game suspension for Brad Marchand.

Marcus Foligno

Tempers also ran hot in Winnipeg, where the Minnesota Wild were shut out for the first time this season.

Early in the first period, two fights broke out simultaneously. Marcus Foligno and Adam Lowry squared off at the same time Brenden Dillon and Jordan Greenway dropped the gloves.

But it was the second time that Foligno and Lowry squared off – in the third period – where Foligno ran afoul of the rulebook.

After Foligno wrestled Lowry to the ice, Foligno appeared to deliberately knee Lowry in the head while Lowry was being restrained by the linesman.

Foligno was assessed an additional two-minute minor penalty on the play for unsportsmanlike conduct.

That could have easily been called a match penalty, a dangerous situation for a player. It’s a dirty play that cannot be tolerated.

Sometimes, a knee at the end of an altercation can be easily missed by the officials on the ice. The linesmen are busy grappling with the combatants, and it’s possible that the referee can turn away for a split-second and miss it.

In this case, the call was properly made – and it was pointed out by Lowry’s father, Jets interim coach Dave Lowry – and also picked up by cameras.

Foligno, 29, has never been suspended or fined in his 643-game NHL career. But this is an easy suspension for the Department of Player Safety with pretty clear cut and convincing evidence.

Peel’s Verdict: Two-game suspension for Marcus Foligno.