Philadelphia Flyers rookie forward Joel Farabee will miss the team’s next three games as he serves a suspension for interference. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the ruling on Monday evening.
Farabee, 19, was ejected from the Flyers’ 7-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets for a late hit injuring Mathieu Perreault.
Here is a look at the hit as well as the NHL’s explanation for the suspension:
Jets treating Perreault as if he has a concussion
The Jets have not officially diagnosed Perreault with a concussion, but coach Paul Maurice said on Monday they are going to proceed as if he does have one.
“You can pass your tests and still have concussion like symptoms. We’ll take any of those symptoms and just say ‘we’re running it through the protocol,’” said Maurice. “It’s all the same thing anyway. We’re going to get him on a bike and see how he feels. We’ll get him into more activity and see how he feels.
“Just because a guy doesn’t test out with a concussion, doesn’t necessarily change the way you treat him.”
Just before leveling Perreault, Farabee was cross-checked from behind in front of the Winnipeg net. After getting back to his feet he sought out Perreault and leveled him with a late hit long after the puck was gone. The DoPS mentions in its video that Perreault is not eligible to be hit on this play and has no reason to believe he will be.
The lateness of the hit, as well as the injury, all factored into Farabee’s suspension.
He will miss games against the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, and Ottawa Senators. He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Dec. 23 against the New York Rangers.
In 27 games this season the 2018 first-round pick (No. 14 overall) has three goals and eight assists.
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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.