May 30, 2019
Blues' Sundqvist suspended for Game 3
St. Louis Blues forward Oscar Sundqvist had a hearing Thursday for boarding Boston Bruins defenceman Matt Grzelcyk in the first period of Game 2 on Wednesday night.
TSN.ca Staff
St. Louis Blues forward Oscar Sundqvist will miss Saturday's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final after being suspended one game.
Sundqvist was given two minutes for boarding Boston Bruins defenceman Matt Grzelcyk in the first period of Game 2 on Wednesday night.
The hit occurred behind the Bruins net with just over two minutes remaining in the first period, when Grzelcyk attempted to play the puck around the boards. He was hit face-first into the glass by Sundqvist, who received a two-minute penalty for boarding.
Grzelcyk, who needed help leaving the ice, was taken to hospital for further evaluation after the hit. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy announced Thursday that Grzelcyk is in concussion protocol and will not travel with the team to St. Louis for Games 3 and 4.
Bruins forward David Backes said after his team's 3-2 overtime loss on Wednesday that he was expecting Sundqvist to face further discipline from the NHL's department of player safety.
“I don’t think that’s a hit we want in our game," Backes said. "It’s from behind, elevated, into his head, into the glass. If that’s a two-minute penalty, I think there’s going to be a shortage of defencemen in this series by the end of it.
"That’s in somebody else’s hands. That’s something I think if I’m making that hit, I’m probably watching from the bleachers for a few, but we’ll see what happens with their player."