Blues forward Sammy Blais given game misconduct for 'bad-luck play' in Montreal

MONTREAL, Quebec — Blues forward Sammy Blais was ejected in the first period of Sunday’s 7-2 win over the Canadiens for boarding Jordan Harris.

Blais was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for boarding Harris behind the Canadiens net, and Harris did not return to the game. Just before Blais made contact with Harris, he began to fall to the ice, and then, he hit his head on the ice after Blais’ hit.

The play occurred just 5:18 into the game and on Blais’ third shift of the afternoon. He finished with just 53 seconds of ice time.

“I was just trying to finish my check, like I always do,” Blais said. “He kind of fell as I was hitting him. It’s unfortunate he got hurt. I just feel bad for the guy. I texted him and asked him how he was doing. He answered me back and said, ‘That happens,’ and that everything was fine, he should be back soon.

“I just feel bad for the guy. It just happened fast, and you know the way I play. I didn’t want to hurt him or anything, just happened fast and wanted to finish my hit like I always do. Kind of a bad-luck play.”

It was the first time in Blais’ seven-year NHL career that he has been given a game misconduct. He has been suspended one time, for an illegal check to the head on Colorado’s Devon Toews in January 2022.

“That’s a call that they have to make,” Blues interim coach Drew Bannister said. “I just thought we had a player that was committed to getting in on the forecheck and finishing his check. It was unfortunate with the player, he caught an edge or he went down and he finished his check. It’s a hockey play, but a player got injured, so I understand their point. I don’t know what else you could have done at that point.”

Even though he was already kicked out of the game, Blais picked up a minus when Nick Suzuki scored at 10:23 of the first period, five seconds after Blais’ major penalty expired.

The Blues did not put anyone in the penalty box to serve Blais’ penalty, so when it expired, there was no one to emerge from the penalty box and return the game to five on five. Had a Blues player come from the bench, it would have been a two-minute penalty for an illegal substitution.

Bannister said he was waiting for another whistle to put someone in the box.

“My decision there early on was to keep my guys on the bench and make the decision as it went on,” Bannister said. “We only had one whistle, which was a little bit strange. That’s on me. If there was a penalty called the other way and we went four on four, let’s say I had Jordan Kyrou (in the box). He’s a guy that I wanted to have out on the ice in that situation. That was my call, and that was on me, really.”

The only stoppage of play came 23 seconds into the power play when Jordan Binnington made a save on Alex Newhook. During a stoppage, the Blues would have been permitted to send someone to the box to serve the penalty.

The Suzuki goal was officially counted as an even-strength goal, but the Blues only had four skaters on the ice. They would not have been allowed to ice the puck like on the penalty kill and would have had to wait until a whistle to add a fifth skater.

A different hatty

Blues forward Jake Neighbours recorded his first career Gordie Howe hat trick on Sunday when he had a goal, an assist and a fight — all in the third period.

Neighbours assisted on Robert Thomas’ power-play goal 31 seconds into the third, then scored his own power-play goal at 7:14. With one minute remaining, Neighbours fought Canadiens defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic.

“A kid that’s done everything for us, especially being a young guy,” Blues defenseman Torey Krug said. “The way that he plays; you can’t really teach that. To have a guy like that on our side, it’s a guy that you want to keep around for a while. He does the little things for us, and sometimes it doesn’t show up in the scoresheet. Sometimes it does, like tonight.”

Neighbours scored twice in the Blues’ 3-1 win over the Sabres on Saturday afternoon.

Neighbours now has 18 goals this season and is tied with Thomas for the most on the team. Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich are just behind at 17 goals each.