Matheson says he had no intentions of hurting Pettersson
Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson has offered his point of view on the hit he delivered to Vancouver Canucks super rookie Elias Pettersson that resulted in a concussion for the 19-year-old and a two-game suspension for himself.
"I've watched the clip numerous times and I definitely understand what they saw and why they thought it was worth two games ... but it wasn't my intent," Matheson said, per Jason Botchford of The Athletic. "It's two-fold. I see why people think it was malicious and deserving of (a) suspension. I see that point of view. But I know how I was feeling in the moment and it wasn't that."
Here's the play, which occurred Saturday:
Elias Pettersson goes down hard. Shaken up on the play and has left the game. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/5CIiNIeMky
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) October 14, 2018
Prior to the collision, Pettersson had scored a goal - the fifth of his debut season in just five games.
"He's a skilled player," Matheson said. "He makes good plays. When you're in a battle with someone, you want to play them hard and make sure they can't beat you back to the net. There was no point in my frame of mind where I was thinking 'I got to injure this guy.'"
Matheson added that he reached out to Pettersson via text to apologize and ensure he's OK.
The Panthers blue-liner is eligible to return from his ban Saturday, while an exact timetable for Pettersson's recovery isn't yet clear.