Bruins’ David Backes won’t face additional discipline for hit
TAMPA – The referees’ whistle didn’t treat David Backes kindly Thursday night, tagging the Boston center with a match penalty in the Bruins’ 3-0 loss to the Panthers, but the veteran forward skated free Friday from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
DOPS, mandated to review all match penalties for possible supplemental discipline (i.e suspension), deemed that Backes’ hit at 17:56 of the first period did not target Vincent Trocheck’s head. As viewed through Rule 48.1 of the league’s rulebook, any head contact that did occur was unavoidable on an otherwise full-body hit.
None of that gets back the 42:04 Backes was forced to watch from the Boston dressing room in Sunrise, Fla., but it will put him back in the lineup here Saturday night when the Bruins and Lightning clash as the two leading powers in the Eastern Conference.
“Let’s play hockey,’’ a relieved Backes said here Friday afternoon, following the club’s brief workout at Amalie Arena.
According to Backes, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney discussed the hit with league officials earlier in the day on Friday to discern, as Backes put it, what the league thought of the hit.
“The thoughts are that I do everything to minimize any catastrophic injury there,’’ added Backes. “It’s a play where [Trocheck] is a vulnerable position, but got the puck. So body contact is not something they are trying to take out of the game. They still want physicality in the game — so it’s good news from my front and there is no further action to be taken.’’
