LAS VEGAS — The owner of the Vegas Golden Knights said Thursday a senior NHL executive phoned him to apologize for a penalty called during Game 7 of his team’s loss to the San Jose Sharks.
Owner Bill Foley said the call came the morning after Vegas lost 5-4 in overtime Tuesday night to end the first-round series. Foley said at a news conference the call came from an executive who is “about as senior as you can get,” but he did not want to identify him.
The play in question was a major penalty on Cody Eakin of the Golden Knights that Foley described as “infuriating.”
The owner said the executive admitted it was a “bad call” and the league did “acknowledge” it. Foley added that the apology made him “feel a little better after that.”
Foley said he was sitting with injured forward Erik Haula in a suite at SAP Center when Eakin cross-checked Sharks captain Joe Pavelski in the chest with 10:47 to play. Paul Stastny bumped Pavelski as he fell to the ice, where he was knocked out and bleeding on the ice.
The officials conferred on the unreviewable play while a dazed Pavelski was helped to the locker room with a towel pressed to his head. Eakin was assessed a 5-minute penalty for cross-checking and a game misconduct. The Sharks scored four goals on the ensuing power play.
Series supervisor Don VanMassenhoven said the major penalty was given because the cross-check caused a significant injury.
“The game was ours, it was over, 3-zip,” Foley said. “We were looking, saying `all we gotta do is play some defense, play defense and stay out of the box.’ Within 30 seconds, 5-minute major. It wasn’t a penalty. Painful.”
San Jose Coach Peter DeBoer said Pavelski is listed as day to day but is not expected to be cleared for Game 1 of the second-round series against the Avalanche on Friday night.
MAPLE LEAFS: Forward Zach Hyman has a torn knee ligament and is expected to miss a minimum of six months.
The team said Thursday he injured his anterior cruciate ligament during a playoff loss to Boston and will have surgery Monday.
The 26-year-old Hyman set career highs in goals (21) and points (41) this season. He had one goal during the seven-game playoff loss to the Bruins.
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