Penguins’ Neal, Asham Suspended By NHL
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Bruce Bennett/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — If the Pittsburgh Penguins have any shot at staving off elimination in the first round of the playoffs tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers, they’ll have to do it without a pair of key players.
The NHL has suspended forward Arron Asham for four games and forward James Neal for one game for separate hits on members of the Flyers during the team’s 8-4 Game 3 loss.
Asham was suspended for attempting to injure Flyers forward Brayden Schenn with a cross-check to the neck and then punching him in the back of the head once he fell to the ice. He was given a match penalty and was ejected from the game. If the series ends before Game 7, Asham will have to serve the remainder of the suspension next season.
Neal’s suspension resulted from charging Flyers forward Claude Giroux in the third period of Game 3. Neal was assessed a minor penalty for charging and was ejected. While Asham is known more as an enforcer, Neal’s absence will be more felt on the Penguins side. Neal was one of Pittsburgh’s most reliable scorers this season, registering 40 goals and 41 assists in the regular season.
The team will also be without forward Craig Adams, who received an automatic one-game suspension from the league on Monday after he instigated a fight in Game 3.
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