After conducting a phone hearing with Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon earlier Wednesday, the Department of Player Safety has issued its ruling, handing the blueliner a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head. The incident occurred early in the second period of Tuesday night’s game against Pittsburgh’s Noel Acciari, a match penalty was assessed on the play. Acciari left the game and did not return; there is no word yet on the severity of his injury.
In the Department’s video ruling, they indicated that Dillon’s hit satisfied both ends of the criteria in Rule 48 for an illegal check to the head. The principal point of contact was the head while the hit itself was avoidable, leading to the suspension.
It’s the second suspension of Dillon’s career as he received a one-game ban back in 2017 for slashing.
As a result of the suspension, Dillon will be out of Winnipeg’s lineup until Feb. 17, when the team takes on Vancouver. He will forfeit just under $61K in salary which instead will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
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