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Boston Bruins forward Zac Rinaldo will not be suspended for his hit on Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier in last night’s overtime loss at TD Garden, this according to the Department of Player Safety.
After the game, Rinaldo did his part to explain his intent -- or lack thereof -- on the hit.
“I saw the puck coming around the boards and I thought he still had full control of the puck, and I just tried to deliver a body check,… Rinaldo said of the charge. “That was about it.…
Rinaldo, who played the first 223 games of his career with the Flyers before Philly general manager Ron Hextall traded him to Boston this past summer, said ‘clean body check’ numerous times throughout his two-minute postgame media availability last night, and expressed concern for a former teammate.
“It’s unfortunate that [Couturier]’s hurt,… said Rinaldo. “That’s the last thing that I want to do is to hurt someone, and during the game that’s not my first priority at all. Especially someone that I know personally. So that was the last thing on my mind was to hurt him.…
In the Philadelphia room, most opted for a ‘no comment’ while head coach Dave Hakstol was irate.
“I’m not even going to comment on that, honestly,… a visibly angry Hakstol said. “Not going to comment on that hit at all. There’s no place for it. So, that’s all I have to say. No place for it.…
When it comes to the hit itself, it’s hard to call it anything but unnecessary. The Bruins have liked what they’ve seen from Rinaldo so far, mainly because he hasn’t crossed the line that makes him a dangerous player to put in your lineup on a nightly basis. Rinaldo, an ‘energy guy’ if there ever was one, is an emotionally charged player. And last night, the 5-foot-10 forward seemed undeniably jacked up to suit up against the team that traded him. There’s a way to channel that, and a way for it to lead to an early exit. The Bruins, for the first time, experienced the latter. The Flyers expected it.
“We expected some aggression out of him but things happen,… Philly forward Wayne Simmonds said of Rinaldo. “It’s a hockey game obviously but I don’t think Couts [Sean Couturier] was looking, I don’t even think Couts had the puck. It was an unfortunate incident.…
Rinaldo has zero points and 25 minutes in penalties in six games for the B’s this season.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.