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Senators’ Watson suspended two games for hit on Bruins’ Ahcan

The NHL suspended Senators forward Austin Watson two games for a “high, late” hit that made “significant contact” to the head of Jack Ahcan (Bruins).

As you can see from the hit and explanation video, Watson began his hitting motion after Ahcan got rid of the puck. Thus, the hit also qualifies as interference. In announcing that Watson was suspended two games, the NHL noted that he didn’t have much of a “relevant history.”

Personally, hits like Watson’s on Ahcan rank among those that need to be eliminated from the game. A player shouldn’t expect someone like Watson to deliver a monster check in that situation. Yet, someone like Watson may view it as his “job” to “finish” checks like those. Would be nice if the instinct was instead “when in doubt, live to hit another day?”

Either way, Austin Watson will lose $15,000 and sit two Senators games for that illegal hit on Jack Ahcan.

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.