NHL suspends Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson one game

After returning Sunday from a three-game absence due to illness, Erik Gudbranson will now miss the Blue Jackets' game Thursday in Toronto while serving a suspension.

Gudbranson, 31, was issued the one-game suspension Monday night, after a phone hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety regarding his retaliation for Nick Cousins' hit during the Jackets’ 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday at Nationwide Arena.

The hit, which occurred 24 seconds into the third period with the Panthers ahead 2-1, sent Gudbranson face first into the end boards with a lot of force. It was ruled a five-minute major for boarding before officials reduced the penalty to a two-minute minor after video review. That decision incensed Gudbranson, the Blue Jackets’ bench and fans, which pushed the game's temperature even higher.

Gudbranson first response was to slam Cousins into the glass behind the Blue Jackets’ net after the hit. He also chirped at the Panthers' bench before heading to the penalty box to shout at Cousins throughout their matching two-minute penalties. About six minutes later, Gudbranson exacted more revenge with Florida on a rush into the Columbus zone.

Skating backward inside his own blue line, Gudbranson spotted Cousins and instigated another fracas. He grabbed Cousins with a bear hug, tackled him to the ice and began throwing overhand right-handed punches at the fallen Panthers forward, who covered his head. It took a linesperson plus Panthers power forward Matthew Tkachuk to pull the 6-foot-5, 222-pound Gudbranson off Cousins.

Gudbranson was issued 27 minutes worth of penalties for those actions to go with the two he'd already served for roughing after his initial retaliation. The 29 penalty minutes tied Blue Jackets television analyst and former enforcer Jody Shelley for second-most assessed to one player in franchise history during a single game.

Florida received a seven-minute power play following Gudbranson's game misconduct and increased its lead to 3-1 on a goal with 36 seconds remaining in the marathon man-advantage. Blue Jackets rookie Dmitri Voronkov cut the lead to 3-2 with 3:49 left in the third, but the Panthers scored two empty-net goals to seal the win.

In addition to the suspension, Gudbranson will forfeit $20,833.33 to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund, which is equal to one game's salary based on his average annual salary of $4 million.

The NHL admonished Gudbranson for his retaliatory actions, which drew the suspension under rule 46.2 of the league's rulebook. The "Aggressor" rule states: "The aggressor in an altercation shall be the player who continues to throw punches in an attempt to inflict punishment on his opponent, who is in a defenseless position or who is an unwilling combatant."

This is the second suspension for on-ice actions in Gudbranson’s NHL career. His first was Oct. 20, 2017 as a Vancouver Canucks defenseman. Gudbranson was suspended one game for boarding then Boston Bruins forward Frank Vatrano with a hit from behind into the end boards.

Gudbranson declined to speak with reporters after the game Sunday. He spoke with the NHL on Monday by phone, meaning his suspension wouldn't surpass five games. Phone hearings can also lead to a player being fined in excess of $5,000. Any suspension longer than five games requires an in-person hearing at the league’s headquarters in New York.

Gudbranson may practice during the suspension and the Blue Jackets return to the practice ice Tuesday.

Columbus Blue Jackets recall Tarasov from AHL conditioning assignment

Daniil Tarasov was recalled by the Blue Jackets on Monday from a conditioning assignment with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters.

He replaces rookie Jet Greaves, who was reassigned to Cleveland after shining in net the past two games while on emergency recall with the Blue Jackets with Elvis Merzlikins (illness) on injured reserve.

Tarasov, 24, missed the entire preseason and first 30 games while recovering from a knee injury that occurred prior to the start of training camp. He has also dealt with prior injuries that included a torn hip labrum in 2022 that required season-ending surgery plus a knee injury in 2017 that caused his draft stock to tumble.

The Blue Jackets selected Tarasov 86^th overall that year and were excited to add the talented 6-5 Russian backstop to their system. When healthy, Tarasov has impressed since beginning his North American professional career in 2021 with the Monsters. Tarasov made his NHL debut Dec. 2, 2021 in Dallas and has made 21 appearances for the Blue Jackets over the past two years.

Tarasov went 2-1-0 in four appearances (three starts) during his conditioning assignment, posting a solid 2.57 goals-against average and .915 save percentage while allowing none goals on 106 shots. He has a 3.66 GAA and .900 save percentage in his NHL career and was prepared to spend his first full season in Columbus before his latest injury.

Bolstering their goaltending depth, the Blue Jackets claimed Spencer Martin off waivers from the Canucks in the preseason, which has worked out well for both sides.

Martin, 28, began the year backing up starter Elvis Merzlikins and has provided a steady option. In 11 appearances, he’s 2-7-1 with a 3.57 GAA and .892 save percentage — but those last two numbers were inflated by a seven-goal game last week in a 7-3 road loss to the New York Islanders.

Contractually, Martin must be traded or placed back on waivers for the Blue Jackets to remove him from the active roster. Tarasov also requires the waivers process for an AHL demotion that isn’t a conditioning assignment.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told the Dispatch recently that he’s fine keeping three active goalies on the Jackets’ roster until the team feels more comfortable with Tarasov’s health. Merzlikins is currently on injured reserve due to illness, which means the Jackets will need to make an additional roster when he’s ready to return.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: NHL suspends Columbus Blue Jackets' defenseman Erik Gudbranson game