NHL Player Safety faces pressure after controversial Canadiens hit in Game 4

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NHL Player Safety faces pressure after controversial Canadiens hit in Game 4

Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Zachary Bolduc could be staring down a suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety after a missed sequence in Tuesday night’s Game 4 loss to the Sabres at the Bell Centre.

The Canadiens forward was caught on video kicking at Buffalo’s Peyton Krebs during a scrum after a whistle in the first period. Neither referee saw it live.

That’s the problem. Rule 49.3 is one of the cleanest, least debated lines in the entire rulebook. Any kick or attempted kick triggers an automatic match penalty.

The two officials standing right next to the pile somehow missed it in real time. So no five-minute major was assessed, no ejection followed, and the game continued without further discipline.

Now the league office has the tape. And when the call gets reviewed after the fact, the Department of Player Safety almost always reaches for supplementary discipline.

For Martin St-Louis, the timing could not be worse. The series is knotted at two games apiece heading into a swing game Thursday at KeyBank Center.

What a Bolduc suspension would cost the Canadiens lineup

The 23 year old Quebecer has been one of Montreal’s best surprises in this series. He’s collected 6 points in 11 playoff games while posting a plus-5 rating, a real jump from his minus-6 regular season number.

Losing him for Game 5 means reshuffling the bottom six in a building where the Canadiens are already 24-9-8 on the road this season. Buffalo finished the year a tick ahead of them with 109 points.

The kicking sequence with Krebs came during a heated stretch where both benches have been pushing the envelope all series. Beck Malenstyn drew a fine for targeting Jakub Dobes. Conor Timmins has yet to be sanctioned for a high stick on Cole Caufield.

So why does Bolduc end up being the one with the biggest hammer over his head? Because the rule he violated leaves zero gray area.

Whether the contact connected or not, 49.3 doesn’t care. The act itself is the offense, and Player Safety has handed out multi-game bans for less obvious kicks in the past.

St-Louis didn’t address it postgame. The Tricolore room walked out quiet after dropping the home-ice advantage they fought through three games to earn.

The 51 goal scorer Caufield will need somebody to compensate at five-on-five if Bolduc sits. Buffalo went 6-3-1 in their last 10 of the regular season and just stole the most important game of the series so far.

A ruling is expected to land before puck drop Thursday. Until then, every line combination St-Louis sketches out comes with an asterisk.

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NHL Player Safety faces pressure after controversial Canadiens hit in Game 4