Byron Bitz suspended 2 games for hit on Kyle Clifford

The NHL announced on Thursday evening that Vancouver Canucks forward Byron Bitz has been suspended two games for a boarding incident late in the second period of their 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.

Here is vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan explaining the hit on Kings forward Kyle Clifford.



Bitz received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit, while the Kings were able to score a crucial goal on the ensuing power play. Clifford is expected to miss at least one game for Los Angeles.

This play was the second incident from Wednesday's playoff action that drew the attention of the league. The other one was Predators defenseman Shea Weber slamming the head of Henrik Zetterberg into the glass near the conclusion of Nashville's win against Detroit.

Weber was only fined $2,500, a decision that has since been heavily criticized. Both plays probably should have resulted in a suspension, but only one of them involved a player suffering an injury (Clifford). And that's the one that ended up earning the suspension.

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