Sabres Goalie Suspended For Hit On Drake Batherson

Tuesday night in a game between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres, Sabres Goalie Aaron Dell leaned into Sens RW Drake Batherson as he was coming around the net, sending him into the boards and injuring his ankle. Batherson was set to make his first All-Star Game appearance next weekend in Vegas, but will miss the game as a result of the injury, and is said to be out "long term".

Here is the play in question for those who have not seen it:

Drake Batherson was forced to leave the game after being hit by Aaron Dell. pic.twitter.com/t6T66c6gdJ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 26, 2022

The NHL announced Wednesday that Dell has been suspended for three games for the incident:

Buffalo’s Aaron Dell has been suspended for three games for Interference on Ottawa’s Drake Batherson. https://t.co/pXXthyGU6h
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 26, 2022

Many expected the 32-year-old netminder to be suspended for the hit, but as always there will be disagreements among fans and analysts about what the right number of games should be given all the facts. Dell's suspension will end ahead of the Sabres' February 10th game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Batherson is expected to miss several weeks of action.