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No Marchand penalty for trip

 
Published Feb. 2, 2017

TAMPA — Bruins star Brad Marchand didn't receive supplemental discipline for Tuesday's trip of Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman.

The play happened late in the second period of the Lightning's 4-3 loss. Stralman was in the neutral zone without the puck, and Marchand skated up behind him and used his right skate to kick Stralman's left skate from under him. The move looked like a slew foot, which is defined in NHL Rule 52 as "the act of a player using his leg or foot to knock or kick an opponent's feet from under him … causing him to fall violently to the ice."

Marchand wasn't penalized and assisted on both Boston goals in the period's final two minutes.

The Department of Player Safety reviewed the trip. It was seen as unintentional, unlike Marchand's trip of Detroit's Niklas Kronwall last week, Canada's Sportsnet reported. Marchand was fined $10,000 for that hit.

Marchand told Boston media Wednesday of the Stralman hit: "I really didn't even know he was there until we collided, so it was just kind of a hockey play."

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said he didn't have an issue with the league's ruling. "Was it a marginal play? Yes," Cooper said. "But to me it wasn't as severe as the one on Kronwall."

Game highlights: Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and two assists as the host Capitals topped the Bruins 5-3. Boston's Brad Marchand scored twice.

Blues fire Hitchcock: The Blues fired coach Ken Hitchcock and put coach-in-waiting Mike Yeo in charge of the underperforming team earlier than planned. "We've let our group become independent contractors," general manager Doug Armstrong said, one day after the Blues' fifth loss in six games. "Ken, ultimately he's paying the price with all our failures, starting with mine." The Blues said before the season that this would be the sixth and last for Hitchcock, 65, with them and Yeo would take over next year. Hitchcock's 781 career wins in 20 NHL seasons are fourth all time.