Alex Pietrangelo's one-game ban infuriates Ryan Whitney - "I'm shocked, appalled & disgusted"

NHL Player Safety issued identical one-game suspensions to both Alex Pietrangelo of the Vegas Golden Knights and Darnell Nurse of the Edmonton Oilers. On the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast, Ryan Whitney, a former NHL player, expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision.

Pietrangelo received a penalty for a violent slash on Leon Draisaitl in Game 4, while Nurse was suspended for his involvement in a fight with Nicolas Hague.

Whitney claimed that Pietrangelo's suspension should have been more severe.

"I'm shocked, appalled. I'm disgusted. Why do those two suspensions match each other?"

He went on to criticize the lack of consistency, questioning the decision to penalize both players equally when the circumstances surrounding the incidents were different. Whitney particularly highlighted the fact that the instigation of the fight, which led to Nurse's suspension, came from a previous encounter between the players.

Ryan Whitney said:

"The instigators that got rescinded in the regular season. Do you even take one of those the guy asks the other guy to fight off the face off 20 seconds earlier? If you wanted to keep that one game suspension, give Petro another game."

Referencing the rescinded instigator penalties in the regular season, Whitney argued that the NHL's disciplinary measures were not properly enforced in this case. He questioned whether the league considered the previous interaction between the players.

According to Whitney, the one-game suspension for Nurse would have been appropriate if the league had chosen to penalize Alex Pietrangelo with an additional game.

Ryan Whitney added:

"It's not right. I have not seen this many people agree on something. Is there anybody, other than huge Vegas fans, like agreeing with this decision?"

The perceived inconsistency in the NHL Player Safety Department's decision-making process has drawn widespread attention.

Ryan Whitney is not alone on Alex Pietrangelo's suspension

Senior NHL analyst Greg Wyshynski also expressed his disapproval of the NHL Player Safety Committee's decision to issue a one-game suspension to Alex Pietrangelo. Wyshynski took to Twitter to voice his criticism:

"I don't think the NHL Dept. of Player Safety got this one right. Alex Pietrangelo deserved at least 2 games for his slash on Leon Draisaitl. When intent is that clear -- late in the 3rd, in a losing effort -- and the target is the other team's leading scorer? C'mon. (1/3)"

Only time will tell whether the league will address these concerns. Ryan Whitney's passionate critique puts focus on the transparency of disciplinary measures in the NHL.