Will Andrew Mangiapane face supplemental discipline for Saturday night’s cross-check on Jared McCann?

On a Flames scoring opportunity, McCann blocked Mangiapane’s initial shot and ended up on all-fours on the ice with the puck underneath him – when he blocked the shot, the puck slid between his legs and ended up underneath him – and Mangiapane cross-checked him across the back of the neck.

Mangiapane was given a match penalty for cross-checking (for intent to injure) and a game misconduct. While all on-ice incidents are reviewed by Player Safety, game officials have to file reports about match penalties to the league and so those incidents receive greater scrutiny. Based on the severity of the penalty alone, this incident will get a long look from Player Safety.

Working in Mangiapane’s favour are two fairly significant factors: he has no fines or suspensions on his record since entering the NHL, and McCann finished the game and didn’t suffer an injury on the play. Working against him are probably the ugliness of the cross-check itself, McCann’s vulnerable position when it occurred, and the similarity to an incident from last season’s playoffs that resulted in a suspension.

During the Western Conference Finals between Dallas and Vegas, Jamie Benn cross-checked Mark Stone while he was on the ice as they battled for a puck. In that situation, Stone was facing Benn while laying on the ice, rather than facing down in a prone position as McCann was with Mangiapane. In their decision – a two-game suspension in the playoffs – Player Safety noted Benn was in control at all times and termed the cross-check “an unnecessarily dangerous decision by Benn and is delivered with sufficient intent and force to merit supplemental discipline.”

In 2022-23, three players were suspended for cross-checking incidents. Benn, in the playoffs, and both A.J. Greer and Blake Lizotte were given one-game suspensions for situations where they were engaged in conflicts that escalated to them cross-checking other players right in the face. While the Mangiapane situation feels closer to the Benn end of the spectrum, at the very least this feels like a situation where Mangiapane gets at least a game or two.

We’ll see what happens when Player Safety has an opportunity for a deeper look at the incident.

The Flames are back in action on Tuesday night when they host the Nashville Predators.

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