Devils forward Paul Cotter is in hot water after a dangerous hit that sent Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech out of Sunday’s game.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they’ll hold a hearing Monday to review Cotter’s match penalty for an illegal check to Pelech’s head.
The hit happened about six minutes into the second period, and it was bad enough that refs immediately tossed Cotter from the game.
Pelech didn’t come back after taking the hit. Islanders coach Patrick Roy couldn’t say much about his condition after the game, but with just two games left in their season, there’s a good chance we won’t see Pelech again until next year.
This isn’t Cotter’s first rodeo with this kind of hit. While he’s never been suspended in his 217 NHL games, he got another match penalty for a head shot last year when he was playing for Vegas. He dodged supplemental discipline that time.
The timing couldn’t be worse for the Devils. They’re heading into the playoffs against Carolina, and if Cotter gets suspended for more than two games, he’ll miss the start of that series.
It’s a tough situation all around – the league’s trying to crack down on head hits, and now they’ve got to decide how many games this one’s worth.
