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New York Islanders forward Colin McDonald has been suspended two games for his hit on Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy on Tuesday night.
After the hit, McDonald was assessed a game misconduct and major penalty for the hit, but Brendan Shanahan obviously didn't think that was enough. That's why he added the suspension despite no prior history.
Why two games? The biggest factor seems to be that McDonald was skating right behind Lovejoy for a long time, meaning he had ample time to make a better decision. He instead drilled Lovejoy into the boards from behind, a very dangerous play.
Here's the crux of Shanahan's explanation:
"The key factors in elevating this hit from a penalty to a suspension are a combination of the length of time McDonald sees Lovejoy's numbers and the degree and force with which McDonald hits right through his opponent.
"What's also significant in our decision is that Lovejoy does not turn his back just prior to or simultaneous with the contact. This puts the onus on McDonald to avoid or at the very least minimize contact. He does neither.
"While we accept McDonald's assertion that there was no malicious intent on this hit, it still remains a reckless and dangerous play."
Lovejoy doesn't appear to have been injured on the play, which is obviously good news. The Penguins went through the medical procedures for such a hit, and everything seems to have checked out.
The Islanders did win the game 4-1, and this hit from McDonald was about the only thing that they did wrong on the night.
It was only McDonald's 13th career NHL game. He appeared in the Isles' first six games this season, recording two assists. He was actually a member of the Penguins in 2011-12, appearing in five games without recording a point.
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