Many thought that the Calgary Flames would have to go without Milan Lucic in Game 4 of the Battle of Alberta. Lucic was ejected from Game 3 after a collision with Oilers goalie Mike Smith.
Lucic was handed a five-minute major, and there was worry that Lucic would be out of Game 4 as the Flames now look to tie the series 2-2. But the NHL’s Department of Player Safety didn’t hand any additional punishment for the Flames forward.
The league didn’t specify why Lucic wasn’t given a suspension, but it’s believed to be because of how Smith turned in the last second before the collision. The Flames players and coach have said that if Lucic had actually gone harder for the collision, Smith wouldn’t have returned after four minutes of play, as he did after clearing the NHL concussion protocol.
Milan Lucic hasn’t talked about the collision until now. He was asked what he thought of the incident and the non-suspension decision. And he delivered the coldest answer.
”If I did charge (Mike Smith) we both wouldn’t be playing tomorrow,” he said to journalist Joshua Clipperton.
Game 4 of the Battle of Alberta will be wild.
