The Boston Bruins will not be losing Taylor Hall for any length of time after his punch on Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin Tuesday night. Though Lyubushkin left the game with an injury and did not return, Hall has been issued a $5,000 fine — the maximum amount under the current CBA — instead of any further supplementary discipline. Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators won’t lose star rookie Tanner Jeannot, either, as he was given a $2,000 fine for kneeing Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk.
Hall was retaliating for a hit from Lybushkin that some considered dangerous, though it did not draw a penalty from officials. The Bruins forward would score later in the game to make it 6-4, but ultimately end up losing the game as Toronto held on with just four healthy defensemen.
It’s Lyubushkin’s health that will be the biggest concern for Maple Leafs fans, as the team doesn’t have a ton of depth on the right side. Given that Justin Holl also exited with a scary-looking head injury after taking a puck to the back of the helmet, the team could be forced to play several names on their off-side, or perhaps give a short opportunity to some young prospects.
For Jeannot, the incident came in the corner as he tried to get a piece of Tkachuk and missed, extending his leg in a dangerous manner instead. It barely slowed down the Senators captain, though, who played another seven shifts after the third-period knee.
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