The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday that Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn will be suspended three games for his hit on Washington Capitals winger T.J. Oshie in Game 6 on Sunday. “Schenn also crosschecked Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov in Game 4 and owned up to it, calling it a pretty dumb play by me”.
Advertisement
If Schenn is suspended, it will carry into the 2016-17 season. It wasn’t the initial point of contact.
The suspension from the league’s inconsistent justice department is questionable considering Schenn wasn’t penalized on the play, nor was he even credited with a hit from the off-ice officials.
The play itself was not called a penalty on the ice. As MacDonald and Ovechkin battle for the puck, Oshie reaches in in an attempt to pull out the puck. Oshie sees Schenn coming and braces himself for shoulder-to-shoulder contact.
In the second period of the game, a 1-0 win by Washington, Schenn launched himself into Oshie’s head area leaving his feet to make the big hit.
Oshie left the game after the hit, but then returned for the start of the third period.
Advertisement
In 2013, Schenn received a one-game league suspension for charging New Jersey Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov and a fine later in the same year for cross-checking Kris Versteeg.
