NHL suspends Blues’ Barbashev for unlawful test
Emily KaplanESPN
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Blues ahead Ivan Barbashev has been suspended for one sport for an unlawful test to the top on Boston’s Marcus Johansson in Recreation 5 of the Stanley Cup Last, the league introduced Friday.
Barbashev was not penalized on the play.
Barbashev has three objectives, three assists and is plus-1 throughout the playoffs. Barbashev and the remainder of the fourth line have performed a key function in retaining Boston’s prime line, centered by Patrice Bergeron, in test this collection.
The incident occurred within the first interval of Thursday’s Recreation 5, an eventual 2-1 Blues win that put St. Louis on the precipice of its first Stanley Cup in franchise historical past — with a Three-2 collection lead and an opportunity to clinch at dwelling on Sunday.
In keeping with a video rationalization launched by the NHL’s Division of Participant Security, Barbashev delivered a “excessive, forceful hit that makes Johansson’s head the principle level of contact, on successful the place such head contact was avoidable.”
Within the video, the DOPS stated that Barbashev was suspended as a result of the brunt of the influence of this hit got here from Barbashev’s shoulder to the top of Johansson.
“Nicely, I imply, they are going to take a look at issues that occur in video games, and that is simply a part of it,” Blues coach Craig Berube stated earlier than the suspension was handed out. “It is bodily hockey, it is heavy hockey on the market each methods, they usually’re going to take a look at some stuff infrequently. In order that’s the way in which it goes.”
On Friday, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy stated that Johansson had “no lingering results” from the hit that he was conscious of.
“I believed it was a excessive hit,” Cassidy stated. “I believed the officers have been shut sufficient to name it. They did not. I am not going to go down that street once more. If he will get a suspension, that is as much as the NHL. They’re going to make that decision and we’ll simply fear about Recreation 6.”
For a substitute ahead, the Blues seemingly will flip to Robby Fabbri. The 23-year-old has performed in 10 playoff video games this spring however has scored only one aim and nil assists, whereas averaging lower than 9 minutes an evening.
That is the Blues’ second suspension of the Stanley Cup Last. Oskar Sundqvist missed Recreation Three after boarding Matt Grzelcyk.
The 2 suspensions towards the Blues this 12 months are the primary within the Stanley Cup Last since 2011.