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Jets’ Lowry faces phone hearing for boarding Flames’ Kylington

As different as outdoor games feel, the danger of NHL hockey still looms large.

We received another reminder of that during the Winnipeg Jets’ eventual 2-1 OT win against the Calgary Flames at Saturday’s Heritage Classic, as Jets forward Adam Lowry received a two-minute boarding minor for a dangerous hit on Flames defenseman Oliver Kylington.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety appears to agree that the check was dangerous, as they’ve announced that Lowry will have a hearing. The Winnipeg Sun’s Scott Billeck provides two key notes: 1) it will be a phone hearing, which would limit a suspension to five games or less, and 2) Lowry, 26, will be considered a repeat offender thanks to a suspension from March.

Lowry told Billeck that he believes the official got the call right as a boarding penalty, while also noting that a lot of things are “borderline.” It should help Lowry’s cause that Kylington was able to return to Saturday’s game after that hit.

It’s been a slow start so far this season for Lowry, who has failed to score a goal or an assist through 12 games. While Lowry’s possession stats have been a little bit down at least relative to his teammates so far in 2019-20, he’s been a very useful player -- particularly defensively -- for Winnipeg; you can see that in metrics such as this multi-season RAPM chart from Evolving Hockey:

rapmlowry

A hearing makes it seem pretty likely that a suspension is coming for Lowry -- the hit seemed pretty dubious -- but Winnipeg has to hope that it’s far from even that five-game ceiling.

MORE:
Pro Hockey Talk’s Stanley Cup picks.
Your 2019-20 NHL on NBC TV schedule

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.