BOSTON (AP) — The NHL on Monday suspended Bruins forward Brad Marchand for three games for slew-footing Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson during Boston's 3-2 victory a day earlier.
It is the seventh suspension of Marchand's career. He will lose about $92,000 in pay.
Late in the first period of Sunday night's game, the two players were pursuing the puck when Marchand hit Ekman-Larsson high and at the same time kicked the Canucks defensemen's legs out from under him. No penalty was called at the time.
“What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline, the NHL Department of Player Safety said in a video on Monday, “ is Marchand’s use of both his upper and lower body to take Ekman-Larsson to the ice in a dangerous fashion, and the speed in which the players are traveling toward the boards.”
Marchand's history, which includes a two-game suspension for slew-footing in 2015, also played a role.
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this story.
The Associated Press