Ottawa Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki was suspended by the NHL Department Of Player Safety today for an illegal check to the head. Mark Borowiecki was suspended three games. The hit was against Vegas Golden Knights forward Cody Eakin. Eakin went down and did not return to the game. This hit resulted in a game misconduct for Borowiecki.
Ottawa’s Mark Borowiecki has been suspended for three games for an illegal check to the head on Vegas’ Cody Eakin. https://t.co/5RHsOXSzXE
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) October 30, 2018
Mark Borowiecki Suspended For Illegal Head Check
History
This will be Mark Borowiecki’s second suspension in just six days. On October 24th Borowiecki was suspended one game for elbowing Boston Bruins player Urho Vaakanainen in the head.
This is Borowiecki’s third career suspension. His first one came back in 2016. Borowiecki faced punishment for an illegal check to the head, which made it worse that it was his second offence in under a week of hitting an opponents head.
This is all ironic as just last Saturday, Borowiecki complained that the league needs to crack down on head hits. That was after a game with the Montreal Canadiens. Borowiecki was complaining about Habs player Brendan Gallagher.
Going Forward
This likely means Sens Rookie Christian Wolanin may draw into the lineup for Mark Borowiecki. Wolanin was someone who had a shot to make it out of camp. However, Maxime Lajoie beat him out of that spot.
Borowiecki is a favourite of head coach Guy Boucher for his physical play. He is also a locker room leader for the Senators. It seems unlikely Borowiecki will lose his roster spot upon return. If he doesn’t clean up his game, however, there is a chance he sees his ice time decline.
Borowiecki has been used as a mix of a third pairing guy and a “shutdown” guy with Cody Ceci this season. At the time of the suspension, the Sens are 4-4-2. They sit 6th in the Atlantic and 12th in the East.
Main Photo: Mark Borowiecki #74 of the Ottawa Senators warms up before the start of their NHL game against the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on February 27, 2016 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images)
