BOSTON — The NHL on Monday suspended Bruins forward Brad Marchand for three games for slew-footing Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson during Boston’s 3-2 victory a day earlier.
It is the seventh suspension of Marchand’s career. He will lose about $92,000 in pay.
Late in the first period of Sunday night’s game, the two players were pursuing the puck when Marchand hit Ekman-Larsson high and at the same time kicked the Canucks defensemen’s legs out from under him. No penalty was called at the time.
“What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline, the NHL Department of Player Safety said in a video on Monday, ” is Marchand’s use of both his upper and lower body to take Ekman-Larsson to the ice in a dangerous fashion, and the speed in which the players are traveling toward the boards.”
Marchand’s history, which includes a two-game suspension for slew-footing in 2015, also played a role.
PENGUINS: Fenway Sports Group has reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Penguins that would give the conglomerate controlling interest in one of the NHL’s marquee franchises.
The Penguins announced Monday that the two sides have come to terms on a deal, which would need to be approved by the NHL’s Board of Governors. A decision is expected by the end of the year.
Financial details were not released. Sportico valued the Penguins at $845 million last month.
As part of the deal, Penguins Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and co-owner Ron Burkle will remain part of the franchise’s ownership group.
There will be no immediate changes to Pittsburgh’s management structure. CEO David Morehouse, GM Ron Hextall, president of hockey operations Brian Burke and head coach Mike Sullivan will all remain in their current positions.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins are a premier National Hockey League franchise with a very strong organization, a terrific history and a vibrant, passionate fan base,” FSG Chairman Tom Werner said in a statement. “We will work diligently to continue building on the remarkable Penguins’ tradition of championships and exciting play.”
The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups during their history, including three since Lemieux and Burkle took over a financially strapped franchise in 1999. Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs 15 consecutive years, the longest active streak in major North American professional sports.
“As the Penguins enter a new chapter, I will continue to be as active and engaged with the team as I always have been and look forward to continuing to build on our success with our incoming partners at FSG,” Lemieux said in a statement. “They have an organizational philosophy that mirrors the approach that worked so well for Ron and me over the past 22 years.”
The Penguins have steadied themselves following a bumpy start to the 2021-22 season. Pittsburgh has won five of six heading into a four-game trip that starts Monday in Calgary.
FSG, which owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox and Liverpool of the Premier League, had been looking to add another major sports franchise to its portfolio.
This spring, it brought on as an investor Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who has said he ultimately wants to own an NBA team. FSG received a reported $750 million investment from RedBird Capital Partners in March that valued the sports conglomerate at $7.35 billion.
CANADIENS: After dismissing his general manager and two other executives, Montreal Canadiens owner and president Geoff Molson said that running the hockey operations of the storied NHL team is a multiperson job and that will be the approach going forward.
Molson said a search is underway for a bilingual GM who will work with recently hired executive vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton.
“Jeff is going to come here, and the new person is going to come here, and they’re going to assess the situation and they’re going to develop an identity they want to have for this team,,” Molson said.
Marc Bergevin was in the 10th year as GM when he was dismissed over the weekend with the team off to a 6-15-2 start after reaching the Stanley Cup final last season.
Molson said Bergevin did a good job over his tenure in Montreal, but the team needed a change after an “unacceptable” start. Molson acknowledged that Bergevin could have used some help.
“It’s a lot for one person,” Molson said. “If I could back up a few years and know what I know today, I would have complemented (Bergevin) with another person. It’s that big a job in this market.”
BLACKHAWKS: The Chicago Blackhawks demoted Philipp Kurashev, assigning the struggling forward to Rockford of the American Hockey League.
The 22-year-old Kurashev has no goals and five assists in 19 games. He had eight goals and eight assists in 54 games last season as a rookie.
Forward Josiah Slavin was recalled from Rockford.
MONDAY’S GAMES
KRAKEN 7, SABRES 4: Jared McCann and Mason Appleton each scored two goals, and Seattle won at Buffalo, New York.
Brandon Tanev had a goal and two assists, and Carson Soucy and Jaden Schwartz also scored for the expansion Kraken, who had their season-high scoring total. Yanni Gourde and Morgan Geekie each had two assists.
Chris Driedger made 32 saves as Seattle won its fourth in five games and second straight on the road for the first time.
Jeff Skinner had two goals for the Sabres, who have lost five in a row at home and 6 of 7 overall.
COYOTES 1, JETS 0: Karel Vejmelka stopped 46 shots to earn his first NHL shutout as Arizona won at Winnipeg.
Antoine Roussel scored to help Arizona get just its fifth win of the season.
CANUCKS 2, CANADIENS 1: Conor Garland scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period, Thatcher Demko had 33 saves and Vancouver held on to win in Montreal.
Elias Pettersson had a power-play goal to help Vancouver snap a four-game losing streak.
Ryan Poehling scored for the fourth time in 10 games, and Jake Allen had 40 saves for the Canadiens oine day after Montreal fired general manager Marc Bergevin.
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