A week ago, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse received a one-game suspension for head-butting, leaving Edmonton to face elimination without a key defenseman. A week later, Panthers blueliner Ben Chiarot was fined $5K, but not suspended, for head-butting Lightning forward Ross Colton in Game 1.
Generally speaking, it’s easy to see the difference.
With Nurse, you could argue there was quite a “wind-up” when he head-butted Phillip Danault.
In the case of Chiarot and Colton, it was less dramatic.
That said, during Game 1, Ben Chiarot and the Panthers were quite lucky. For one thing, Chiarot began the exchange by tripping Colton. Judging by this fine, he should have sat in the penalty box longer, possibly even getting a major. Instead, this drew offsetting minors.
Chiarot lucky they didn't call that a headbutt.
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) May 18, 2022
Attempting a head-butt is a double-minor. If you make contact, it's a major + GM. #TBLvsFLA #GoBolts #TimeToHunt https://t.co/zodTddngmv
Either way, it’s a pretty foolish choice by Chiarot. You may argue that it’s also setting/reinforcing an odd precedent where some head-butts are worse than others. Then again, that’s the NHL for you, right?
In October, Pavel Buchnevich of the St. Louis Blues was suspended two games and Chris Wideman of the Montreal Canadiens sat for one game in January for a similar offense.
Check out this Game 1 recap for some thoughts about how maybe the Panthers should use Chiarot and other defensemen differently going forward.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.