NHL announces Hayden Hodgson's suspension for huge Brandt Clarke hit: two games

Senators winger Hayden Hodgson has been suspended two games for boarding Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke, per Frank Seravalli.

The NHL Department of Player Safety ruled on the play a day after Thursday night's 6-5 overtime win for the Kings over Ottawa in Los Angeles. The game got ugly in a hurry.

Hodgson logged just 4:44 of ice time and left with 15 PIM. Clarke finished with an assist and 11:37 of ice time.

The league went with boarding/charging, according to Seravalli. Hodgson was already piling up minutes in the box before this: 24 PIM through five games this season, with no points and a -1 rating.

It isn't a one-year habit, either. Over his NHL career he has 51 PIM in 24 games, and that includes the night Hayden Hodgson's boarding hit on Brandt Clarke turned the Senators-Kings game into a scrum.

Two games feels light for a player whose entire season is 24 penalty minutes and nothing on the scoresheet. The league decided what the hit deserved, but a 15-PIM night and a ruling this short sit awkwardly together.

For Ottawa, the timing is bad. The Senators are 8-5-1 and sit 10th in the NHL, but they've lost two straight, and Thursday's loss in overtime left them with a goal differential of exactly 0.

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Kings get Clarke back on the ice but still trail the pack

Los Angeles has its own problems, even with the win. The Kings are 4-6-2, 29th in the NHL and seventh in the Pacific Division, with a -8 goal differential.

Clarke has been one of the few bright spots on the back end, with 9 points in 12 games. The Kings were encouraged to see Brandt Clarke skating before Kings practice on Friday.

Seravalli noted that Hodgson was given two games for boarding/charging Clarke on Thursday night.

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Both teams are back on the ice Saturday, October 31. The Kings host Buffalo, while the Senators visit San Jose.

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