(SB Nation) – Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes has avoided supplemental discipline for his hit onTrevor Lewis in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday night. The decision not to suspend the Coyotes captain for Game 3 was made by Brendan Shanahan, the head of the NHL’s Department of Player Safety, on Wednesday afternoon via Twitter.
Shanahan explained that Lewis turned his body away from the oncoming Doan just prior to the check, even going as far as to include a very low-quality screen capture of the incident to prove his position. The decision is in accordance with NHL Rule 41 regarding boarding, which states that while the onus is on the player delivering the hit to avoid dangerous contact, it should be taken into consideration whether or not the receiving player put himself in a vulnerable position prior or during the hit. It’s clear that’s what happened on this hit.
Doan was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct on the play, which took place in the second period of Game 2.