NHL Schedules Hearing for Anaheim’s Gudas After Hit on Maple Leafs Star

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas will face NHL discipline officials Friday following a knee-to-knee collision that injured Toronto's Auston Matthews. The incident occurred during Toronto's 6-4 victory and resulted in Gudas receiving a major penalty and ejection.

The NHL has scheduled a disciplinary hearing for Friday involving Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas following a controversial collision that left Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews injured during Thursday evening’s game.

TSN reports the NHL Player Safety department will conduct the hearing by telephone, which limits any potential suspension to a maximum of five games.

The collision resulted in Gudas receiving both a major penalty and game misconduct penalty for what Toronto head coach Craig Berube characterized as a “dirty play” after his team’s 6-4 victory at home.

The controversial play happened with 4:13 remaining in the second period when Matthews suffered a knee-to-knee contact that sent him crashing to the ice. Toronto’s team captain required assistance leaving the playing surface and was unable to continue in the game.

Despite pre-game comments from the 35-year-old defenseman, Anaheim head coach Joel Quenneville maintained there was “no premeditation” in Gudas’ actions during the play.

During Thursday’s morning practice session, Gudas had stated: “We got to be on top of him. We got to make sure that he doesn’t get space in the middle of the ice … make his nights not enjoyable.”

The veteran defenseman has recorded two goals and 11 assists while accumulating 45 penalty minutes across 52 contests this season in his third year with Anaheim and 14th NHL campaign.

The 28-year-old Matthews had netted his 27th goal of the campaign during the second period, just five minutes prior to the collision with Gudas. The Olympic gold medalist and U.S. team captain has tallied 53 points through 60 games in his tenth season with Toronto.

Coach Berube provided no medical update regarding Matthews’ injury status following the contest.