You’re not going to believe this, but the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers don’t see eye-to-eye on David Pastrnak’s two-game suspension for a hit on Dan Girardi.
In discussing the decision, the NHL provided the following explanation:
“Rather than staying low and hitting through his opponent’s body, Pastrnak unnecessarily extends up and into this hit, picking the head and making it the main point of contact,” the Department of Player Safety explained.
Claude Julien provided the Bruins’ side of the argument, as CSNNE.com reports.
“To me I see a guy [in David Pastrnak] whose feet are still on the ice,” Julien said. “I just think that was an attempt to finish his check, but certainly not to injure.”
Julien insists that Pastrnak didn’t go “full-tilt.”
The Rangers, meanwhile, believe that it is the sort of check that needs to be eliminated.
“Initially when watching it, we didn’t feel it was the type of hit that the game wants, and the league took a stand,” Alain Vigneault said, according to Newsday’s Steve Zipay.
Now, if the roles were reversed, would we see Vigneault griping about a suspension and Julien backing it up? Perhaps.
Ultimately, what we know for sure is that the top-heavy Bruins will be without a red-hot performer in Pastrnak for two games.