PHILADELPHIA -- The Penguins were none too happy to be down their top two defensemen due to injury in their Stadium Series game against the Flyers on Saturday.
Fair to say, they weren't much happier on Sunday when the NHL's Department of Player Safety declined to further punish the Flyers' Wayne Simmonds for his hit on Brian Dumoulin. According to our TV partners at WPXI, the league was in possession of another camera angle -- not belonging to NBC -- that showed Simmonds' point of impact was the chest, not the head or chin.
Dumoulin and Kris Letang were both injured with a little under five minutes remaining in the first period of what was a physical -- but typical -- game between the in-state rivals. After Philadelphia prevailed, 4-3, in overtime, Mike Sullivan said Dumoulin had sustained a concussion, his second since taking a hit from the Capitals in last April's first-round playoff matchup, while Letang was still being evaluated for an upper body injury.
With the score tied 1-1 after Sidney Crosby and Sean Couturier exchanged goals, Simmonds-- in what was likely his last game with the Flyers -- leveled Dumoulin with a full body check near the penalty box doors at 16:21. The Penguins argued that the hit was high.
“It was straight to the head,” Patric Hornqvist protested on Saturday.
Simmonds drove his shoulder into the chest and chin area of Dumoulin, who's head was violently crunched against the glass:
"I just saw the replay, looked like he made contact with his head," Sidney Crosby said. "It's tough to see that."
With Dumoulin down, Letang made a beeline toward Simmonds to engage the Flyers’ tough guy. Before he got there, he was tackled to the ice by Shayne Gostisbehere. The Flyers defenseman fell on top of Letang, who appeared to have buckled his neck as he tumbled to the ice:
That would be the same neck that Letang had surgically repaired in the spring of 2017, when he missed the Penguins' Stanley Cup title defense.
Instead, it was Jared McCann who tried to paw his way at Simmonds but he was obstructed by both linesmen. Whether Simmonds will face supplemental discipline is questionable. After the game, Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher was seen talking outside his team's dressing room with George Parros of the NHL's Department of Player Safety.
"Definitely didn't like it," McCann said of the hit. "We're going to leave that up to the league to figure it (punishment)."
Simmonds was not penalized for the hit but he was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty resulting from the ensuing scrum. Letang also took an unsportsmanlike which was served by Hornqvist.
The injuries to Letang and Dumoulin left the Penguins down to four defensemen: Justin Schultz, Jack Johnson, Chad Ruhwedel and Marcus Pettersson. The Penguins are already down Olli Maatta, who has been out with a separated shoulder suffered in the last meeting against the Flyers on Feb. 11. The Penguins had just welcomed No. 2 defenseman Justin Schultz back to the lineup last weekend after he had missed the previous 53 games with a fractured left leg.
Earlier in the game, Garrett Wilson and Robert Hagg took matching minors for roughing.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins at Flyers, Stadium Series at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Feb. 23, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS