Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett has been granted a three-game suspension after a hearing with the NHL’s Player Safety Department for his blow to the head of Cedric Paquette during Saturday’s game.
The hearing for the illegal checking to the head took place on Sunday, the Department of Player Safety said.
The blow came early in the game, in front of the Canadiens’ net. Paquette tried to push the puck out of the box when Bennett hit him in the head. There was no penalty on the play.
The video accompanying the NHL Player Safety Committee’s decision explains that the committee determined that the main point of contact was Paquette’s head and that the situation was preventable.
The committee also analyzed that it was possible for Bennett to give the bodycheck legally, but that he opted for the head of his opponent. According to the committee, he had the time and space to change his course.
Paquette, injured in the neck, returned to the game a few minutes before leaving again for the remainder of the game. Habs head coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed after the game that his striker had not suffered a concussion.
The Panthers won 5-2 and Bennett was the author of two goals.
This is the second time Bennett has been convicted by the NHL. He had been suspended for a game in the 2021 playoffs when he gave tape against Blake Coleman, then of the Tampa Bay Lightning. This factor was taken into account by the committee to explain the sentence announced on Sunday.
With The Canadian Press