No suspension for Jamie Benn after controversial hit on OEL

An ongoing battle between the captains of the Dallas Stars and Arizona Coyotes jumped up a notch on Wednesday, when Jamie Benn earned himself a match penalty for a hit on Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Benn caught Ekman-Larsson in the numbers with a shove into the glass, and the Coyotes’ captain hit the ground with his hands on his head immediately. The last time these two teams met, it was Ekman-Larsson that caught Benn with a hit away from the puck, albeit in the middle of the ice and not along the boards.

Boarding was the official on-ice call against Benn, and he received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit. Ekman-Larsson did return to the game to start the next period, signalling that the hit was possibly not as damaging as it initially appeared.

The NHL Department of Player Safety apparently agrees, as Benn will not face any supplemental discipline for the hit.

The DoPS reportedly viewed the collision as a 50-50 battle for the puck that Ekman-Larsson lost and the following game misconduct was enough punishment, especially with the defenceman seeming to be alright after going head-first into the boards.

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