Panthers’ A.J. Greer suspended three games for boarding

The infraction occurred midway through the third period of the Flames’ 4-1 win over the Panthers on Friday. Greer was hooking Zary as both players chased after the puck going into the corner of the Florida zone, and as Zary broke free of Greer’s hook and regained his balance to go after the puck, Greer gave Zary a two-handed shove into the back with both hands. Zary fell onto the ice, and the momentum from the hit sent him into the boards, where he laid on the ice and was slow to get up.

The DOPS cited the recklessness of the hit, Greer’s control over the situation (both with the initial hook and the eventual hit) and his previous history of one fine and one suspension as the reason for the three-game suspension.

Greer received a five-minute major penalty and a 10-minute game misconduct for the hit, as well as a two-minute minor penalty for the hook prior to the hit. The Flames scored twice on the ensuing power play to add to their 2-1 lead and wrap up the game at 4-1. The infraction also came after Greer scored the lone Panthers goal in the game, coming just seven minutes prior to the hit.

Greer has had his most productive season in his NHL career, putting up a career-best 13 goals and 24 points in 68 games, along with tying his career-best of 11 assists. The 17 penalty minutes in the loss added to a total of 109, which is the third-most in the NHL this season.

Zary is currently day-to-day for the Flames as a result of the hit, and will not play in their Sunday night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. There’s no current timeline for his return, but it sounds like the injury is short term, a best case scenario from the hit.