Paille Gets 4 For Blow To The Head

Daniel Paille of the Boston Bruins has been suspended for four games for his blindside hit to the head of the Dallas Stars forward Raymond Sawada last night.

Here's the hit...
((HT: NHL/FSStars/NESN))


Paille was assessed a match penalty for illegal hit to the head and a 10-minute misconduct.

"Paille delivered a lateral hit where the principal point of contact was his opponent's head," said Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Mike Murphy. "Additionally, the injury suffered by the Dallas player was a factor in this decision."

Sawada suffered injuries to his nose and shoulder as a result of the hit.

Murphy handled the hearing in place of NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell, whose son Gregory plays for the Bruins and was involved in Thursday's game.

"It was a bad hit," said Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference after the game. "We can't be hypocrites when your own team does a hit like that which the league is trying to get rid of."

Paille is eligible to return February 15th against Toronto.

Bruins Score 3 Shorties In 64 Seconds To Clinch Playoff Berth

Daniel Paille, Blake Wheeler and Steve Begin scored to make it 3-0 after a scoreless first period Saturday, forcing Carolina coach Paul Maurice to call a timeout to settle his team down.

Well, wouldn't you...???

It was the first time in NHL history that a team has scored three times while short-handed on the same penalty, the Bruins said. The Winnipeg Jets scored four short-handed goals against Vancouver on April 7, 1995, the only time a team has scored more than three in a game since 1964-65.

"We made the book," Begin said with a laugh. "I heard they're going to put us on the power play now."

Oddly, the Bruins haven't scored with a man-advantage in their past 22 attempts in seven games. They had just three short-handed goals all season before Saturday.

Here's the proof...
((HT: FS Carolinas/NHL))


Matt Hunwick was the guilty party who got to sit in the box for the three-fer. He had one request for his Bruins teammates.

"I said, 'Hey, boys. Kill this one for me.' "

"That was crazy," Hunwick said. "You never want to take penalties, but they responded great. You'd like to be out there and be a part of it."