Auston Matthews Penalized After Unusual Incident with Blue Jackets Goalie's Stick
Auston Matthews was on the end of a bizarre penalty after being left without a stick and needing to use a different piece of lumber for a brief moment.
During the first period of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs game, superstar center Auston Matthews received a bizarre penalty after having his stick knocked away which led the captain to use a different stick than he's used to.
Auston Matthews And Elvis Merzlikins Combine For Bizarre Penalty
Matthews was in the middle of a play and seemingly didn't realize whose stick he grabbed however after a few moments he realized his error and dropped the stick.
Merzlikins was assessed a two-minute minor for holding the stick, and Matthews was given an illegal stick usage minor. It's rare that you see such a call, and normally illegal sticks are reserved for players who want to try and give themselves a bit more curve along their blade.
Players also get penalized if they hand over their stick, and while this is a common occurrence in hockey, it's legal to hand it from over the bench, not just haphazardly switch mid-shift.
The game so far has been not only fast-paced, but immediately started off with fireworks as Ryan Reaves and Mathieu Olivier decided to drop the gloves, as the Leafs enforcer got his first scrap of the season.
It wouldn't be surprising however to see Matthews be able to find the back of the net using the awkward looking stick, and perhaps this was just him trying to add more to his arsenal after trying a 'Michigan' goal the other night.
Jonathan Quick happened to do the same with Juraj Slafkovsky last week, which in hindsight make you wonder why the League doesn't let them give it a go, perhaps during the All-Star Weekend.
Toronto can only hope that Matthews doesn't decide to make a shift to play goalie now that he's gotten a taste if only briefly.
