NHL fans react to Mark Scheifele’s 4-game suspension for hit on Jake Evans

Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele has been suspended four-games for charging Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans.

Winnipeg Jets center Mark Schiefele was the talk of Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens due to his dangerous act in the closing seconds of the contest. As Canadiens center Jake Evans scored an empty net goal, Schiefele raced down the ice and hit him high in the head, forcing him to be stretchered off the ice.

On Thursday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety laid down the law, as they suspended Scheifele four games for charging Evans. Twitter users reacted to the news of the Jets star missing a significant amount of time this series due to his dangerous and reckless hit on Evans.

Jets: Mark Scheifele suspended four games for hit on Jake Evans

Hours after the hit, Scheifele was scheduled for a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety, meaning that he was facing a maximum suspension of five games.

The Jets forward argued that he maintained momentum to make a defensive play to prevent the goal. The department determined that Scheifele was not looking to play the puck and was instead going for a “predatory hit” on Evans.

“This is a player who has traveled a considerable distance, is moving with exceptional speed and is fully aware of his momentum, who chooses to charge into a vulnerable opponent with a high, predatory hit that causes an injury,” the Department of Player Safety says in their video explaining Scheifele’s suspension.

Evans is out indefinitely due to a concussion. Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said that Evans avoided a trip to the hospital and felt better on Thursday morning, per the Canadiens’ official Twitter account.

With this suspension, Scheifele will not be able to return to the ice until Game 6 of this series. That is, if the series lasts that long.