Penguins’ Noel Acciari avoids discipline for hit on Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky
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Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari drew a lot of attention from the Montreal Canadiens in the late stages of his team’s 3-1 home win at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.
And not for good reasons.
First, Acciari staggered Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky with a high hit at 16:56 of the third period.
Both players raced after a loose puck in the Penguins’ left corner, and Acciari initiated contact, striking Slafkovsky with his right shoulder. The principal point of contact appeared to be Slafkovsky’s left shoulder, but his head absorbed a significant portion of the blow. Slafkovsky did not finish the contest following the hit.
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Acciari momentarily was shaken up on the sequence as well and went to the bench. But he returned and was on the ice for the conclusion of the game. As the clock expired, several members of the Canadiens tried to attack him — most notably, defenseman Arber Xhekaj with his left knee — to avenge their teammate.
“We were both going for the puck,” Acciari said following practice Monday in Cranberry. “I’m never out looking to injure anyone. I hope he’s OK. We were both going for the puck. I don’t know if he was reaching a little. I just kind of led with my shoulder in there. Again, I’m not looking to hurt anyone. Just unfortunate. I hope he’s OK. Was just playing hard.”
Per reporters in Montreal, Slavkovsky practiced Monday. Canadian outlet Sportsnet, a broadcast partner of the NHL, reported Acciari will not face supplemental discipline over the hit.
“It is what it is,” Acciari said. “Again, I’m not doing anything maliciously out there. I’m just trying to play a hard game. It was unfortunate. I hope he’s OK.”
Uncommon fighter
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Xhekaj’s attempt to strike Acciari with his knee in the waning seconds of regulation led to more tempers flaring.
Several players from both clubs got into shoving matches at the Penguins blue line, including Ryan Graves and Canadiens defenseman Jayden Struble.
Moments later, Graves, who, at 6-foot-5, is tied for the tallest player on the Penguins, dropped the gloves with Struble, a 6-foot specimen.
Graves did not intend to fight anyone, but the way things went over the few seconds when players from both clubs were tangled up led him to do so.
“Usually, you’re just coming in for a scrum,” Graves said. “You’re just trying to protect each other. You’re not going in for anything, but their guy kind of came in, grabbed me from behind and threw me down, which I didn’t like. I decided it was greasy, so I squirmed my way out of the bottom of the pile. I took exception to it.”
Per HockeyFights.com, it was Graves’ third fight of his seven-year career and first since he battled Brendan Lemieux on May 13, 2021, while a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
Before that, Graves’ only other NHL fight came Nov. 29, 2019.
While he has no intention of posing as a tough-as-nails gladiator, Graves will continue to throw his size around when the occasion calls for it.
“I’m not looking to step in and fight all the time, or really any heavyweights, but I’m a bigger guy,” Graves said. “I did it a lot more when I was younger. Not that I’m going to be in there, going toe-to-toe and trading (blows) with the big ones, but I protect myself. That’s what you learn to do at a younger age. I’m here to play hockey, I’m not here to be a heavyweight.”
Puljujarvi potentially returning
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During Monday’s practice, Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi, a healthy scratch for the past two games, skated on the third line with Acciari at center and Michael Bunting on the left wing. Meanwhile, forward Valtteri Puustinen, primarily stationed on the second line the past three games, worked on a fourth defensive pairing with reserve defenseman Ryan Shea.
Such deployment would suggest Puljujarvi will be back in the lineup for Tuesday’s road game against the New York Islanders, and Puustinen will be a healthy scratch.
On Saturday, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan indicated he would like to see Puljujarvi’s defensive game improve.
“The biggest thing is just attention to detail and playing on the defensive side of the puck, playing away from the puck,” Sullivan said. “He was doing some real good things offensively. He was doing a pretty good job of getting in on the forecheck. I just felt like the details of the defensive aspect of the game or his play without the puck was not where it needed to be or was slipping.”
Puljujarvi received the message.
“Like he (Sullivan) said, there (are) some little details of what I can do better on the ice,” Puljujarvi said. “I try to focus (on) those.
“A couple of good practices. I watched the games and I try to play better.”