After hitting Cedric Paquette in the head on Saturday, Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett was finally suspended for three games by the National Hockey League (NHL) Players Safety Administration.
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This is what the latter announced on Sunday evening.
Bennett, the Montreal Canadiens player, hit the shoulder in the first moments of the first half. The gesture occurred in the pocket, in front of the Habs goalkeeper. Paquette appeared several times after that, before leaving the meeting for good.
Bennett, who scored the first goal of the match, then completed a double in the 5-2 win over the home side at Sunrise. In 26 games in 2021-22, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft entry hit the target 11 times and provided six assists for 17 points.
The midfielder will miss matches against the Calgary Flames (Tuesday), the Dallas Stars (Thursday) and the Carolina Hurricanes (Saturday).