The NHL is forced to instantly punish a Canadiens player after a controversial act: Phillip Danault in trouble

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Skyler Walker
May 27, 2026  (9:57 PM)

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Phillip Danault just handed Martin St-Louis another problem, and the NHL may now be looking at more than a 2-minute minor.

Danault was assessed a minor for cross-checking Jordan Staal in the head, and that's the kind of play the league almost always puts under the microscope once the final horn sounds.

It doesn't mean a suspension is automatic.

But when head contact is involved, especially on a forceful cross-check, the bar for a hearing can get low in a hurry.

That's why this one matters beyond the box score.

Montreal were already fighting from behind, and a play like that can follow a team into the next game if the Department of Player Safety decides it crossed the line.

Mike Matheson had already been sent off for 2 minutes moments earlier after a controversial call on another Carolina forward.

That sequence pushed the game closer to the edge.

Instead of settling things down, the Canadiens got pulled deeper into the chaos. At that point, they were already down 3-0 on the scoreboard and trailing 2-1 in the series.

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This is where the heat of a playoff series can start working against a team. One penalty can be survived. Two in a short stretch can change the whole bench mood.

And Danault's infraction has a different weight because of where the contact landed. A routine cross-check is one thing.

A cross-check that rides up into the head opens the door to extra discipline.

If the NHL decides the play had enough force, or that Danault had time to avoid that point of contact, Montreal could be staring at a 1-game or 2-game loss in the lineup.

That would be a hard hit to absorb in a series that already feels like it's turning.

A team chasing the game can't afford to lose structure, and it definitely can't afford to lose players.

St-Louis now has two problems to manage at once.

He has to stop the game from getting away emotionally, and he has to hope the league sees this as reckless but not suspension-worthy.

Because if Danault is pulled out of the next game, this stops being one bad penalty and turns into a series-altering mistake.

Previously

Canadiens game disrupted as police respond to serious incident outside the Bell Centre

Scary scene: panic at the Habs bench after Cole Caufield takes a puck to the face

Bad news for Stan Bowman: it's now over for Oilers' top coaching candidate

POLL

2 HOURS AGO   |   102 ANSWERS The NHL is forced to instantly punish a Canadiens player after a controversial act: Phillip Danault in trouble Should the NHL suspend Phillip Danault for this cross-check to Jordan Staal's head ?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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