Leafs’ Auston Matthews reveals potentially devastating consequence from Sasha Barkov’s high stick

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews made a stunning admission following his team’s 2-0 win in Game 6 over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.

At roughly the 10-minute mark of the second period, a seemingly inadvertent high stick from Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov caught Matthews underneath the visor, sending him to the bench in evident discomfort.

Here’s a look at the play:

Matthews went off to the dressing room for repairs, returning to the game a few moments later.

Following the game, Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reported the following:

“Auston Matthews says the Barkov high stick temporarily impaired his vision but assures he’s fine now.”

The TV broadcast showed Matthews wiping his eye, being unable to open it. While it doesn’t seem that the play affected him during the game, there’s no telling if there are any long-term consequences.

The team will assuredly examine Auston Matthews more closely in the days to come to determine if there is any damage to his vision.

But judging from his play on the ice, Matthews seemed just fine as he scored the game-winner in the third period to lift the Leafs past the Panthers in Game 6 and force a Game 7 on Sunday night.

No penalty called on Barkov’s high stick on Auston Matthews

In what could have been a replay of 1993’s high stick on Doug Gilmour, no penalty was called on Barkov’s high stick on Auston Matthews.

It’s tough to call a penalty as the blade of Barkov’s stick caught Auston Matthews on the follow-through during the face-off. As such, the officials on the ice did not believe the play was an intentional high stick.

High sticking penalties are generally called when a player is careless with his stick, catching another player anywhere in the facial region.

The Hockey rule book points out that a minor penalty “shall be assessed for high sticking an opponent.”

By that standard, Barkov deserved a two-minute minor. However, the rule book also points out that a high sticking infraction is considered when a player carries his stick beyond the normal height of his opponent’s shoulders.

An argument could be made that this incident did not involve a stick above the opponent’s (Matthews) shoulders. As a result, the officials did not blow the whistle, and play continued.

Leafs fans hope Matthews will not suffer any lingering effects from the high stick as the team will be counting on him to lead the way in Game 7.

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Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early ’90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can’t for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan