BOSTON -- Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski will not face discipline for his check on Buffalo Sabres captain Brian Gionta on Sunday night, according to the league.
Bartkowski was given a game misconduct after he hit Gionta at 14:08 of the first period during Boston's 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres. On the play, Buffalo was attempting to break out of its zone when Gionta failed to receive a pass just inside the blue line. The puck was past Gionta when Bartkowski stepped up and hit him.
Gionta went spiraling to the ice and was tended to by a team trainer before skating off on his own. He was bleeding from the head and did not return to the game.
The NHL department of player safety tweeted that the hit was an example of "incidental head contact on an otherwise full body check." In the league's view, the head was not the main point of contact.
Bartkowski/Gionta is an example of incidental head contact on an otherwise full body check. pic.twitter.com/iCAyDjRwsN
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 22, 2014The head is not the MAIN point of contact. Also, Gionta puts himself in a vulnerable position making contact with his head unavoidable.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 22, 2014Bartkowski neither extends upward, nor does he "pick" the head.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 22, 2014Bartkowski reiterated Monday that he thought it was a clean hit.
"I watched the replay and I didn't see any head contact," Bartkowski said. "It's not like I was trying to hit him in the head or anything. I was just riding the [blue] line and it was just a play in the game."
