Montreal’s Paul Byron will sit for three games after a high hit on Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar. The hit came early in the second period of Tuesday night’s game in Montreal.
Byron was given a minor penalty for charging on the play by referees Trevor Hanson and Graham Skilliter.
From the NHL rulebook:
42.1 Charging – A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner.
Charging shall mean the actions of a player who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A “charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice.
42.2 Minor Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a minor penalty, based on the degree of violence of the check, to a player guilty of charging an opponent.
42.3 Major Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a major penalty, based on the degree of violence of the check, to a player guilty of charging an opponent (see 42.5).
42.4 Match Penalty – The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent by charging.
42.5 Game Misconduct Penalty – When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for a foul resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.
Byron took to social media to address the suspension on Wednesday.
— Paul Byron (@jpbyron89) January 16, 2019
He forfeits $18,817.20 in salary as a result of the suspension.