Sabres G Aaron Dell suspended three games for Drake Batherson hit

Field Level Media
27 Jan 2022, 06:25 GMT+10

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Aaron Dell was suspended for three games without pay, the NHL's department of player safety decided Wednesday, following interference on Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson on Tuesday night.

According to the NHL, based on Dell's average salary, the suspension will cost him $11,250.

Batherson injured his left ankle on the play, which occurred late in the first period of the Senators' 5-0 win, and he is now expected to miss next week's NHL All-Star Game.

Batherson, who scored his 13th goal of the season earlier in the game, was chasing a puck behind the Buffalo net when Dell appeared to shove him feet-first into the boards. He was helped off the ice and did not return.

"Drake looks like he's gonna be (out) a lot longer," Senators coach D.J. Smith said after the game. "Kid has a chance to go to his first All-Star game, it's a bad play by the goalie. He's done it before. We've seen all the replays. Any other player in the game that does that, you know, you have to go out and face the music. ... It's a bad play."

Dell, who was not penalized on the play, said he wasn't trying to injure Batherson.

"I was just trying to buy some time for my defenseman and step into his lane," Dell said. "I hope he's all right. I wasn't trying to hurt anybody. That sucks. I really didn't want to hurt anybody. I hope he's all right."

Batherson, 23, leads the Senators with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) through 31 games.

Dell, 32, is 1-8-1 this season with a 4.03 goals-against average and .893 save percentage in 12 appearances.

--Field Level Media

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