PHILADELPHIA — Things got chippy between the Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at Amalie Arena, but with two minutes and 40 seconds remaining in the game, Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo took it a step too far.
Following a shot on goal by James van Riemsdyk, a scrum gathered around the Tampa net. DeAngelo skated from behind the net, stuck his stick into the scrum, and jabbed it between Corey Perry’s legs. The Flyers defenseman was initially assessed a five-minute major penalty for spearing as well as a game misconduct.
After a hearing with DeAngelo on Wednesday, the NHL’s Player Safety department determined that the defenseman should be suspended for two games for his actions. He will miss the Flyers’ games on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes and Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Under the terms of the NHL CBA and, based on his average annual salary, DeAngelo will forfeit $54,054.06. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
The Flyers were down 4-2 when DeAngelo speared Perry. Just under 20 seconds into the ensuing Lightning power play, Nikita Kucherov scored the final goal of the game.
After the game, DeAngelo said he was trying to “give him a little shot,” but he wasn’t aiming between the legs. He said Perry had slashed him and talked trash all game but declined to fight him. “Replay probably looks a bit worse than it was meant to be,” DeAngelo said. “But it is what it is. I took 30 punches on the ground, and when I get up, they don’t let me do what I got to do. So it’s whatever.”
This is DeAngelo’s second NHL suspension, although he was previously suspended three times in junior hockey by the OHL. His first OHL suspensions were for violating the league’s Harassment and Abuse/Diversity Policy. He then was suspended for abuse of an official. In 2017, he was suspended for physical assault of a referee while with the Coyotes. He was also fined $14,388.90.
