Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron received a three-game suspension for charging MacKenzie Weegar of the Florida Panthers during Montreal’s 5-1 win on Tuesday.
The Department of Player Safety explains that Byron “launches up and into a forceful check” while making “significant contact” with Weegar’s head. The explanation video circles back to Byron’s skate leaving the ice, postulating that Byron “launched himself excessively upward” to make the hit.
Finally, the NHL notes Weegar’s injury, but also a lack of suspension history for the speedy Byron:
Byron tweeted a statement on the suspension, noting that he accepts responsibility for the hit, even though he had “no intention of causing injury.”
— Paul Byron (@jpbyron89) January 16, 2019
So, Byron will be unavailable for Friday’s game at Columbus, Saturday’s home game versus the Flyers, and a Wednesday, Jan. 23 contest versus the Coyotes. The Habs have the All-Star break after that, so Byron is eligible to return for a Feb. 2 home game against the Devils.
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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.