Islanders' McDonald suspended for boarding Lovejoy - 01-30-13

The NHL suspended Islanders forward Colin McDonald two games as a result of his boarding major against Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy during last night's 4-0 Islanders win at Consol Energy Center. The hit occurred at 18:54 of the second period.

Here is the NHL's explanation of the suspension:

McDonald, who spent part of last season with the Penguins, is in his first season with the Islanders.

After today's practice at Consol Energy Center, Lovejoy said, "I do know him as a player and as a person. I don't think it was meant to be malicious, but it was definitely not a clean hit."

Lovejoy was examined for a concussion per team protocol but reporting no injuries aside from a bloody nose.

-EN Says: We're honestly surprised the NHL got this right. Far too often, hits like these go virtually unnoticed by the NHL's hierachy.

That said, this was a dangerous play by McDonald and deserved punishment. Given his relatively clean history and Lovejoy's lack of serious injury, two games seems consistent with the NHL's pattern of discipline.