While the announcement yesterday that Minnesota Wild forward Brad Staubitz and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman James Wisniewski were suspended pending a hearing and review by NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan was the news yesterday, a head check by Brad Boyes of Buffalo Sabres flew under the radar.
During a preseason game with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, Boyes delivered a hit to the head of Joe Colborne, with the head being the principle point of contact. In doing so, the NHL suspended Boyes for two preseason games.
Here's Shanahan's explanation of the 2-game ban:
The first game Boyes will be able to return to the Buffalo lineup is the Oct. 4 preseason game against German club Adler Mannheim.
Two preseason games isn't the harshest of penalties, but keep in mind Boyes is not a repeat offender, which played into the Jody Shelley and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond suspensions. Also, as Shanahan mentioned, Colborne was not injured on the play.