Panthers' Winchester Suspended 3 Games For Elbowing Chris Kelly
BOSTON (CBS) - Florida Panthers forward Jesse Winchester has been suspended 3 games by the NHL for an elbow to the head of Bruins forward Chris Kelly on Thursday night.
The hit came in the first period of Boston's 4-1 win over the Panthers on Thursday night, when Winchester left his feet to deliver an elbow to the head of Kelly. The B's forward stayed down on the ice for a few seconds before leaving the ice, and no penalty was called on the play.
Bruins center Gregory Campbell wasn't a fan of the hit, and went after Winchester on his next shift. Kelly returned after missing a few shifts, and assisted on Boston's fourth and final goal of the evening.
Kelly said after the game he didn't think the hit was intentional, but at the same time was happy his teammate had his back.
"I know Jesse Winchester. We played together and he's probably one of the nicest guys in hockey, so I'm sure it wasn't intentional," Kelly said after the game. "That being said, it was awesome that Soup (Campbell) steps up for me and goes out there and takes care of business."
WATCH: NHL Explanation
Winchester had a hearing with NHL Player Safety Department head Brendan Shanahan on Friday afternoon, and was hit with the 3 game suspension.
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