Kyle Clifford has been suspended one game for his hit from behind on Ross Colton early in Game 1 of the series. He will miss Wednesday’s game in Toronto, likely returning on Friday for Game 3 in Tampa Bay.
One game suspension for #LeafsForever Kyle Clifford.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 3, 2022
Original post:
Toronto’s Kyle Clifford will have a hearing today for Boarding Tampa Bay’s Ross Colton.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 3, 2022
The duality of Kyle Clifford
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) May 2, 2022
one was good, the other was not good pic.twitter.com/4SGxaihJmz
At the time of the hit, Clifford received a five-minute penalty for boarding and a game misconduct. In general, the game misconduct carries some weight in a hearing as a kind of “time served”. The option is open for the Department of Player Safety to levy a fine, a suspension or take no further action.
There is nothing forcing player safety to count playoff suspensions as more punitive, but it seems like they sometimes do that.
Related
8 Notable Suspensions Given During the NHL Playoffs Since 2000
The Maple Leafs have a long list of potential players to take Clifford’s fourth-line spot, and if Michael Bunting is healthy enough to play on Wednesday, that’s the answer as to who comes in.
Edited to add the fines from last night’s game as well:
Tampa Bay’s Corey Perry has been fined $2,500, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Unsportsmanlike Conduct during last night’s game against Toronto.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 3, 2022
Toronto’s Wayne Simmonds has been fined $2,250, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Unsportsmanlike Conduct during last night’s game against Tampa Bay.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 3, 2022
Tampa Bay’s Pat Maroon has been fined $2,250, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Unsportsmanlike Conduct during last night’s game against Toronto.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 3, 2022
Reminder: fines are based on a players’ salary amount and are not set by the offence committed.
