Johnny Gaudreau hadn’t seen the inside of a penalty box since his days in the maroon and gold of the Boston College Eagles. His 56-game NHL career had been entirely penalty-free. Until last night.
Gaudreau took his first NHL penalty with just under four minutes to play in the Flames game against the Boston Bruins. He made it a good one, picking up a double-minor for high-sticking Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak. Referees for the game were Ian Walsh and Francis Charron.
There go Gaudreau’s Lady Byng hopes. In case you’re wondering, Mark Letestu of the Columbus Blue Jackets now leads the NHL with no penalties through 26 games.
The Flames were able to kill off the four-minute disadvantage, bailing Gaudreau out on his first trip to the sin bin. Calgary also scored three straight goals after Gaudreau’s penalty en route to a 4-3 victory.
