Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak received a major penalty and game misconduct for boarding New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren.
Referees Pierre Lambert and Peter MacDougall reviewed the hit, confirming their initial call and ending Pastrnak’s night.
Lindgren was injured on the play; he left the ice visibly bleeding from the collision.
Boston head coach Jim Montgomery was not expecting the major penalty call to be upheld.
“Very surprised,” said Montgomery. “I thought it was [deserving of] two minutes.”
From the NHL Rule Book:
41.1 Boarding – A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player who checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously. The severity of the penalty, based upon the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.
There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the Referees. The onus is on the player applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a defenseless position and if so, he must avoid or minimize contact. However, in determining whether such contact could have been avoided, the circumstances of the check, including whether the opponent put himself in a vulnerable position immediately prior to or simultaneously with the check or whether the check was unavoidable can be considered. This balance must be considered by the Referees when applying this rule.
The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a minor [or major] penalty, based on the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, to a player guilty of boarding an opponent. When a major penalty is imposed under this rule for an infraction resulting in an injury to the face or head of an opponent, a game misconduct shall be imposed.
The Referee, at his discretion, may assess a match penalty if, in his judgment, the player attempted to or deliberately injured his opponent by boarding.
“I don’t think he hits him anywhere near his numbers,” Montgomery said, per Boston.com. “I think he hits him on the front of his shoulder and then, unfortunately, I don’t know who it was but he got hurt. So if there’s blood, it affects the call.”
“But if I compare that hit to hits I’ve seen — like when Marchand got hit [by Sharks forward Givani Smith], blasted from behind headfirst into the boards? I think that’s more of a five-minute major for me,” Montgomery added. “I guess I’m glad I’m not a ref. I wouldn’t like to make those calls.”
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety is undoubtedly evaluating this hit for possible supplemental discipline. Pastrnak has been suspended once before, missing two games for an illegal check to the head of another New York Rangers defenseman: Dan Girardi.
The New York Rangers defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime. Officials were referees Pierre Lambert (#37) and Peter MacDougall (#38), with linesmen Tyson Baker (#88) and Ben O’Quinn (#91).
