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Rangers’ Lindgren avoids suspension for hit on Avs’ Donskoi

Usually, when you hear about a hearing with Player Safety, you assume a suspension is coming. New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren bucked that trend, as he avoided supplemental discipline for his hit on Colorado Avalanche forward Joonas Donskoi.

Nazem Kadri gave Lindgren an epic beating in a fight following that hit, so maybe the league believed that the on-ice “justice” was good enough?

Lindgren left the game after the fight, and Donskoi did not come back after the hit. It’s unclear if either player will miss more time beyond the remainder of the Rangers’ 5-3 comeback win from Tuesday.

The league determined that while there was significant head contact, Lindgren “took a proper angle of approach.”

This all seems ... a bit unusual? Maybe Lindgren/the NHLPA made a really good argument over the phone? In my experience, such hearings typically don’t work out this well for offending parties. Borderline hits typically just don’t make it that deep into the process.

Here is a screen shot of the moment of impact:

linddon

Lindgren received a five-minute fighting major during the game, but nothing for the hit. Kadri also received a fighting major, a misconduct, and an instigator penalty.

Do you think the league made the right calls -- on the ice, and over the phone?

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.