Ryan Leonard received one of the strangest penalties of the Washington Capitals’ season in the team’s 4-3 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday.
At 10:53 of the second period, Leonard was given a two-minute minor for interference on Sebastian Aho. Except, as you’ll see in the clip produced by @capsreplays on X, Leonard fell down and took Aho with him for good reason.
As Leonard hustled to get back in the play, Aho sucker-punched the Capitals rookie directly in the face with his gloved right hand, appearing to briefly knock Leonard woozy. Leonard fell like a bag of potatoes due to the punch, slamming his head against the ice, and Aho fell over with him as he continued to skate toward the net.
Once he got up, Leonard, flexing his jaw, was incensed that he was the only player going to the box, screaming at officials.
TJ Oshie, serving as an analyst for Monumental Sports Network during the telecast, wondered if officials were trying to even things out and make play four-on-four after a previous borderline call. One minute and four seconds earlier, they whistled Taylor Hall for interference after the Hurricanes collided with a backwards-skating Aliaksei Protas at the blue line during a Hurricanes’ carry-in.
Leonard was briefly removed from the game after the play. He was summoned to the locker room for concussion protocol while serving the penalty and was replaced in the penalty box by Alex Ovechkin. Leonard returned for just one more shift in the second period after — a 45-second skate to end the period.
“I was surprised by that one,” Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said. “I didn’t see that. When I go back and watch it on the replay, when he fell over, I’m assuming that’s why they grabbed him and pulled.”
