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Senators’ Pageau suspended one game for boarding

Screen Shot 2019-03-21 at 11.00.26 AM

Ottawa Senators forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau had a disciplinary hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Thursday for a boarding incident against Ashton Sautner that took place in their 7-4 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.

That hearing has resulted in a one-game suspension that will keep him out of the lineup for Ottawa’s game against the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

Here is another look at the play, which resulted in a two-minute minor penalty for boarding during the game, as well as the NHL’s explanation for the suspension.

The key point from the NHL, obviously, is that Pageau knew exactly what he was aiming for and still went forward with the hit anyway.

From the NHL’s video:

“It is important to note that from the moment Sautner collects the puck until contact is made, Pageau sees nothing but Sautner’s numbers. This is not a case in which a sudden move by Sautner just prior to contact turns a legal hit into an illegal one. Pageau has sufficient time to adjust his course to deliver a legal hit, minimize the force of the hit, or avoid the hit entirely. Instead he delivers this hit through Sautner’s back, driving him forcefully into the boards.”

This is the first time that Pageau has suspended or fined in his NHL career.

He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Saturday when the Senators take on the Edmonton Oilers.

Pageau is one of the few veteran players that has remained in Ottawa, at least for now, throughout its ongoing rebuild.

It has been a tough season for him individually as he has just three goals and seven assists in 31 games. He had scored at least 10 goals in each of the previous four seasons.

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.