{"id":276601,"date":"2025-05-17T04:57:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T04:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/17\/leafs-auston-matthews-reveals-potentially-devastating-consequence-from-sasha-barkovs-high-stick\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:26","slug":"leafs-auston-matthews-reveals-potentially-devastating-consequence-from-sasha-barkovs-high-stick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/17\/leafs-auston-matthews-reveals-potentially-devastating-consequence-from-sasha-barkovs-high-stick\/","title":{"rendered":"Leafs&#8217; Auston Matthews reveals potentially devastating consequence from Sasha Barkov\u2019s high stick"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4920302\" data-slug-id=\"2521431\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Toronto Maple Leafs captain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/auston-matthews\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Auston Matthews<\/a> made a stunning admission following his team\u2019s 2-0 win in Game 6 over the Florida Panthers on Friday night.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a look at the play:<\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>Matthews went off to the dressing room for repairs, returning to the game a few moments later.<\/p>\n<p>Following the game, Sportsnet\u2019s Luke Fox reported the following:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAuston Matthews says the Barkov high stick temporarily impaired his vision but assures he\u2019s fine now.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The TV broadcast showed Matthews wiping his eye, being unable to open it. While it doesn\u2019t seem that the play affected him during the game, there\u2019s no telling if there are any long-term consequences.<\/p>\n<p>The team will assuredly examine <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/news-leafs-hc-craig-berube-shuts-auston-matthews-mitch-marner-splitting-speculations-must-win-game-6-panthers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Auston Matthews<\/a> more closely in the days to come to determine if there is any damage to his vision.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>No penalty called on Barkov\u2019s high stick on Auston Matthews<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sk-app-thumbnail\" alt=\"Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov was at the center of controversy for his high stick on Matthews - Source: Imagn\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg 1920w\" alt=\"Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov was at the center of controversy for his high stick on Matthews - Source: Imagn\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/05\/26138258-1747455574.jpeg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%201920%201280%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov was at the center of controversy for his high stick on Matthews &#8211; Source: Imagn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In what could have been a replay of 1993\u2019s high stick on Doug Gilmour, no penalty was called on Barkov\u2019s high stick on Auston Matthews.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s tough to call a penalty as the blade of Barkov\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>High sticking penalties are generally called when a player is careless with his stick, catching another player anywhere in the facial region.<\/p>\n<p>The Hockey rule book points out that a minor penalty \u201cshall be assessed for high sticking an opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By that standard, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/aleksander-barkov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Barkov<\/a> 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\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n<p>An argument could be made that this incident did not involve a stick above the opponent\u2019s (Matthews) shoulders. As a result, the officials did not blow the whistle, and play continued.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/2981390-1716632323-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Nestor Quixtan&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nNestor 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\u2019s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.<\/p>\n<p>Nestor credits the Leafs\u2019 playoff runs in the early &#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;t for stories.<\/p>\n<p>When he is not writing about Canada\u2019s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/nestor-quixta\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Nestor Quixtan<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/nhl\/news-leafs-auston-matthews-reveals-potentially-devastating-consequence-sasha-barkov-s-high-stick\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews made a stunning admission following his team\u2019s 2-0 win in Game 6 over the Florida Panthers on Friday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":276602,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276601"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}