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Late in the first period of Saturday’s game against Arizona, Jeremy Lauzon threw this hit on Coyotes forward Derek Stepan.
Some more looks of #NHLBruins Jeremy Lauzon match penalty for checking to the head on #Yotes Derek Stepan pic.twitter.com/xpLGVErDO0
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) February 8, 2020
Lauzon received a match penalty for a hit to the head, and was ejected from the game.
Per the league, the punishment likely won’t end there: Lauzon is having a hearing with the league on Sunday.
He has no suspension history and Stepan ended up finishing the game, two things that will likely tilt things in his favor.
Still, given the fact that he’s having a hearing, it’d be a surprise if Lauzon emerges from this completely unscathed. A suspension (probably 1 game) is possible, and at least a fine is a virtual guarantee.
Lauzon almost certainly didn’t mean to make head contact, and while you could argue that Stepan clearing the puck led to Lauzon making contact at a bad angle, the defenseman still needs to be responsible for how he finishes his check.
Fortunately, Stepan appeared to be fine.
My guess is that the punishment will be a fine, but a game suspension wouldn’t surprise me.