The NHL announced on Tuesday evening that it has suspended Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers for three games for a boarding incident that took place during their 3-2 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.
Midway through the second period Myers received a two-minute minor for boarding Scott Gomez , sending him flying face-first into the glass.
"Gomez chips the puck back behind the net to his right as Myers approaches him from behind," said Brendan Shanahan in his latest suspension video. "Looking directly at Gomez's back, Myers hits Gomez from behind, causing him to crash violently into the boards. This is a clear violation of the boarding rule."
Shanahan also added that the onus was on Myers to either avoid the hit or minimize it, and that he did neither.
The fact that Gomez suffered an injury on the play, as well as Myers' past history of having no previous fines or suspensions also went into the decision.
Myers went on to score the game-winning goal in overtime on Monday night.
The Sabres are still very much alive in the playoff race for the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference, so the absence of Myers will definitely hurt. In 50 games this season he has scored eight goals to go with 13 assists, while recording 31 penalty minutes. In his previous two seasons he never received more than 40 penalty minutes for an entire season.
Buffalo's next three games are against Colorado on Wednesday night, followed by road games at Florida and Tampa Bay on Saturday and next Monday.
The suspension will cost Myers over $14,000 in salary, which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
More NHL discipline news here
For more hockey news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnHockey and @agretz on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
