Mike Matheson stuns everyone with a bizarre move on Zach Benson during a heated NHL scrum
Mike Matheson gave Martin St-Louis and the Canadiens a moment nobody expected in Game 2.
It had nothing to do with the score, a power play, or a rush off the blue line.
Late in the second period, the play turned chaotic in front of Jakub Dobes' net. Bodies dropped, sticks tangled, and the scrum kept rolling after the whistle.
That's when Zach Benson ended up down near the crease with skates moving through traffic around his head.
Mike Matheson spotted the danger right away.
He saw a blade come far too close and stopped treating the moment like a rivalry play.
Tyson Kozak's skate clipped Benson's helmet while the Buffalo forward was still on the ice.
Matheson reacted on instinct and covered him up.
Matheson's instinct stood out more than the score
The Canadiens defenseman stretched over Benson and shielded his head as more skates passed through the pile.
In a sequence that could have gone very bad, Matheson chose protection over emotion.
That's what made the scene travel so fast across the hockey world Tuesday morning.
Benson is not a player Canadiens fans are eager to defend.
He gets under skin, stays around the crease, and usually leaves a trail of frustration behind.
Matheson still stepped in.
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He had no reason to do it, and that's exactly why the play landed the way it did.
It looked like pure instinct from a player who understood the risk before anyone else in the scrum did.
That kind of awareness says plenty about Matheson. So does the willingness to protect an opponent in the middle of a heated game.
The twist came fast.
Just 2 minutes later, Benson scored Buffalo's only goal in a 5-1 loss and made sure Dobes heard about it after the puck crossed the line.
It was a strange response after what had happened in front of the net.
Still, that didn't change the bigger takeaway from the night.
Benson got his goal, Buffalo got handled, and Matheson left with the moment people will still be talking about long after Game 2 fades out.
| POLL | ||
MAI 9 | 511 ANSWERS Mike Matheson stuns everyone with a bizarre move on Zach Benson during a heated NHL scrum Did Mike Matheson show the class every NHL team wants in its locker room ? | ||
| Yes | 459 | 89.8 % |
| No | 52 | 10.2 % |
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