The Philadelphia Flyers needed a spark to get them going in Game 3 against the Washington Capitals. Instead, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare gave them the opposite by recklessly crushing Dmitry Orlov into the boards late in the third period Monday, earning a five-minute major and game misconduct penalty that effectively shut the door on Philly's comeback chances.
Flyers player ejected, suspended for recklessly shoving an opponent into the boards
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was handed a one game suspension by the NHL on Tuesday night.
Derik Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Oh my god this is a HORRENDOUS hit pic.twitter.com/F4e9lymItF
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 19, 2016
There are legal dangerous hits, and then there’s ramming a guy into the boards head-first at high speed. Based on the look of the hit, we should be grateful that Orlov managed to get up uninjured afterward. This was a dangerous, unnecessary play.
Bellemare’s suspension may not matter much for the Flyers’ chances. They looked defeated at the end of the Game 3 loss against Washington and now sit in a 3-0 hole against the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Philadelphia had more penalty minutes in the third period (43) than shots on goal during the entire game (32) on Monday. That’s not a winning formula, especially when you’re giving one of the game’s best power plays countless chances. The Capitals scored four times with the man advantage in Game 3, including one to put it away after Bellemare’s brutal shove on Orlov.
The Flyers’ season is on the brink of being over. Hopefully they can finish the rest of the series in better fashion than they finished Game 3.
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