Completely disagree that there was any intent behind it. He was trying to toe drag the puck which pushed his elbow back - if you stand up right now and try the same motion, there is no way you can do it where he was on the ice without getting your elbow back. It's a frustrating play and should've been 4 minutes IMO regardless of intent, but I would be surprised if there was any incoming discipline.
I was angry last night, but I re-watched it this morning, and did the same motion as Dadonov, and your elbow does naturally go up. Maybe Dadonov was a little more forceful in his movement.
I think the one problem with the penalty last night is that they called it wrong, or at least not by the rulebook. The actual rule has been thrown around a bunch, but here's what it is:
| 45.1 | Elbowing - Elbowing shall mean the use of an extended elbow in a manner that may or may not cause injury. |
| 45.2 | Minor Penalty - The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a minor penalty, based on the degree of violence, to a player or goalkeeper guilty of elbowing an opponent. |
| 45.3 | Major Penalty - A major penalty, at the discretion of the Referee, shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who used his elbow to foul an opponent. A major penalty must be imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent (see 45.5). |
| 45.4 | Match Penalty - The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgement, the player or goalkeeper attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent by elbowing. |
| 45.5 | Game Misconduct Penalty - When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct penalty shall also be imposed. |
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Based on Carlo's injury, the only possible calls should have either been no penalty or a major penalty with a game misconduct. I have a bigger issue with the refereeing than the actual act.
