During Thursday night's Stars-Bruins game, about midway through the second period, Boston's Daniel Paille leveled Dallas' Raymond Sadawa with a hit to his blindside. Sawada was able to skate off on his own, but he did not return to the game. Stars coach Marc Crawford said Sawada had a broken nose and a sprained shoulder.
At the time, Paille received a major penalty for an illegal check to the head. And now on Friday, the league's offices have weighed in with their own punishment: Paille has been suspended four games (he'll forfeit $23,118.28).
The hit in question:
Pretty clear.
Paille commented on the suspension after Friday's practice.
"It was a fast-paced play. I just recognized that Sawata was going on a breakaway, and I just went over to backcheck and get the puck, but he cut back to the middle," Paille said following Bruins' practice Friday. "If you look the play, I'm ahead of him when I hit him, and I felt that I hit his shoulder at that moment. Looking at the replay I felt that he kind of turned towards me so I wouldn't my check. I felt that I hit him in the the shoulder at first."
He added, "I felt that it was a clean hit."
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