In what shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Mark Borowiecki will be suspended for one game due to his elbow to the head of Urho Vaakanainen. Here is their explanation:
Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki suspended one game for elbowing Boston’s Urho Vaakanainen. https://t.co/ntUEOIbwjq
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 24, 2018
In the video, the league notes that although they accept Borowiecki's claim that he did not intend to hit Vaakanainen in the head, it is ultimately his responsibility where his elbow goes. They called the play "reckless," which is a good description. They noted that he has been suspended before, but the statute of limitations had passed on that so it did not factor into their decision. Besides calling it elbowing, the NHL also made note of the fact that Vaakanainen was concussed after the fact, and I believe if he was not injured then perhaps Borowiecki might have only received a fine.
I think one game is perfectly reasonable because it is definitely a suspendable offense due to the head contact and the ensuing injury, but it is not the most egregious elbow I have seen. If Borowiecki was moving with speed and then elbowed him in the head, he probably would have gotten a suspension upwards of five games. But since he was stationary, it doesn't look quite as bad.
I know that some Bruins fans are a bit upset that it was only one game, and rightfully so because their 2017 first rounder is now hurt. My Hockeybuzz friend Ty Anderson wasn't exactly pleased about the decision:
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) October 24, 2018
With Borowiecki out for next game, that makes Guy Boucher's lineup decisions a bit easier, as one or both of Cody Ceci and Ben Harpur might return to the lineup. It looks like Ceci could be fully healthy, plus Boucher really likes having Harpur play. No matter who draws in, I'm sure the Senators can survive one game without their toughest player.