The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been suspended for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. This is his first career suspension.
St. Louis’ Oskar Sundqvist has been suspended for one game for Boarding Boston’s Matt Grzelcyk. https://t.co/2W0ZLnn9fI
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 31, 2019
Oskar Sundqvist Suspended
Oskar Sundqvist was suspended for one game for an incident with Matt Grzelcyk. The Boden, Sweden native boarded the Boston Bruins defenceman in the first period of the Blues 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2. He did not return to the game and Grzelcyk was subsequently taken to the hospital after the game and put into the concussion protocol. Sundqvist got a two-minute minor for boarding.
In the regular season, he scored 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 74 assists. He also added 22 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 50.1 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -2.7. He has four goals and five assists for nine points in 21 post-season games this season.
Sundqvist has played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues in his four-year NHL-career. He has put up 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 career points in 144 career games. Pittsburgh originally drafted him in the third round, 81st overall of the 2012 NHL Draft.
Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said Grzelcyk will not travel with the team to St. Louis for Game 3. The Bruins only had five defencemen to finish out Game 2. John Moore will likley come into the lineup like he did in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.
What This Means for the Future
It’s been a career season for Sundqvist with his 14 goals. He only had two going into the 2018-19 campaign. Robert Thomas could make his return to the lineup and be centre on the fourth line. However, Zach Sanford would slide into the lineup if Thomas isn’t ready for Game 3.
The Blues would then put Ivan Barbeshev at centre while Sanford would move over to the left wing.
ST. LOUIS, MO – APRIL 04: St. Louis Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist skates up ice with the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game between the Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks on April 4, 2018, at Scottrade Center. (Photo by Tim Spyers/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
