Jake Virtanen will see the remainder of his NHL season cut almost in half thanks to his interference hit on San Jose Sharks defenseman Roman Polak Tuesday night. The Vancouver Canucks forward was suspended two games after a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Wednesday.
Canucks’ Jake Virtanen suspended 2 games for blindside hit on Roman Polak
This is the 19-year-old’s first suspension in the NHL.
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
The video below highlights the cause for Virtanen’s suspension:
The 19-year-old rookie hit Polak high breaking out of the zone well after the puck had left the defenseman’s stick. Polak was not injured on the play, but the lateness of the hit is well within the grounds of interference and he was given a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty on the ice.
This was Virtanen’s first run in with NHL supplemental discipline. In his first season with the Canucks, the forward has 13 points in 51 games played.
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