When the Flyers take the ice for Game 6 against the Montreal Canadiens, they’ll be doing so without one of their top-pair defensemen. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety has suspended defenseman Matt Niskanen for one playoff game for his hit on Brendan Gallagher, one which led to a broken jaw and surgery that will keep him out for at least the rest of the series:

The Department of Player Safety released the following explanation:

“The original intent of the play was to deliver a forceful stick foul to the upper body of an opponent. Players are responsible for their stick at all times. And when a player attempts to intentionally use his stick to deliver a blow to an opponent, he cannot necessarily be excused of responsibility when the blow recklessly lands in an unintended area.”

While the DoPS ruled that it was a “reckless” hit delivered by Niskanen in an attempt to deliver a deliberate crosscheck, they opted to suspend him for just one game. While I’m sure the Montreal media -who openly campaigned for a suspension in a way I’ve never seen before- are sure to be disappointed Niskanen received such a short suspension, the DoPS explained their rationale as such:

  • They agreed with Niskanen, who argued he didn’t intend to hit Gallagher in the head
  • They agreed with the Flyers’ assertion that players regularly use their sticks to defend areas of the ice, establish body position, or move their opponents off the puck and that the majority of those plays can be sufficiently penalized by the on-ice officials
  • They laid some of the blame at the feet of Gallagher for his last-second motion that put himself into a compromised position.
  • They noted that Niskanen had only ever been fined once in his 949 game NHL career

Now the question is who will replace Niskanen on the team’s top defensive pairing. It’s a critical one, as his consistent play and calming effect on the ice has led in part to the bounce-back season Ivan Provorov has put together.

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