Calgary Flames Forward Pospisil Ejected for Major Foul, Elbowing Winnipeg Jets’ Morrissey

Calgary Flames forward Martin Pospisil found himself in hot water once again as he received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for elbowing Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey in the head late during Thursday’s match.

This marks the third occasion this season that Pospisil has been ejected from a game. The first instance dates back to February 6th when he cross-checked Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. The second incident occurred on March 6th when he checked Seattle Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn from behind, leading to a three-game suspension by NHL Player Safety.

Reflecting on the hit, Morrissey expressed his sentiments, stating, “Obviously I don’t love getting hit. I don’t think anyone does. It’s not so much not wanting to be hit, it’s more trying to have the puck under control and not putting yourself in a position to get hit,” Morrissey remarked. “It is what it is. They upgraded it to a five and that’s the ref’s decision and we’ll see if anything comes from it.”

Reviewing the play afterward, Morrissey noted, “I watched it after. In the moment I didn’t feel like it was dirty, I guess. I felt like I got smoked and it’s part of the game. When I watched it after he kind of extends the elbow. Thankfully he just grazed my chin and didn’t make contact but obviously he’s got a history and the elbow is probably the piece I feel is the reckless part of the hit.”

Initially deemed a minor penalty, the elbowing incident was upgraded to a major following review, a decision that drew differing opinions from both teams’ coaches.

“By the rule of the book you’re not allowed to review a minor penalty,” stated Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “So the process of how that went all about, it didn’t seem like it was right to me.”

On the other hand, Jets head coach Rick Bowness commended the referees for reassessing the call, affirming, “That was definitely the right call.”

Despite the Jets securing a playoff spot with a 5-2 victory, the Flames faced elimination from playoff contention with the loss.

Pospisil, 24, has tallied eight goals and 20 points across 56 games with the Flames this season.