Should Sam Bennett be suspended? Will NHL DoPS take action after a new angle in Brad Marchand is discovered?

Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett has been in the crosshairs of media attention following the punch he laid on Boston Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand. The hit left Marchand shaken up, forcing him to leave Game 3, resulting in a 6-2 loss for the Bruins at TD Garden.

The call on the ice led to no penalty for Sam Bennett, drawing a number of reactions from players, fans and coaches across the league. Bruins’ coach Jim Montgomery was quoted by Boston.com, saying:

"People can say it wasn’t intentional, but we have our view of it."

Initial footage of the hit, including the original TNT television broadcast, did not provide conclusive evidence proving Sam Bennett intentionally meant to hurt Marchand. However, Montgomery was certain that there was evidence that Bennett had sucker punched Marchand.

A new camera angle seems to have vindicated Montgomery’s assessment of the play, showing Sam Bennett punching an unsuspecting Marchand as he moved in to bodycheck Bennett.

While the new camera angle may still leave room for debate, it offers a much better look at the incident itself. In light of this new footage, the question begs, “Should Sam Bennett be suspended?”

On the surface, there seems to be justification for a suspension. Whether the hit was a sucker punch or not, the main point of impact was the head, a factor that typically warrants disciplinary action from the league’s Department of Player Safety (DoPS). However, the department has been silent.

Perhaps this new footage will prompt the DoPS to act, and based on conclusive evidence, at the very least, issue a statement about the incident.

Sam Bennett would not be the first player suspended for a sucker punch

A potential suspension for Bennett would not be the first time in NHL history for a sucker punch. The league has a track record of suspending players for such incidents.

In 2018, Max Domi, then playing with the Montreal Canadiens, was suspended for several pre-season games for a sucker punch on Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Domi initially received a minor penalty on the ice but was later suspended when the league reviewed the play.

In 2021, another Montreal player, Brendan Gallagher, received a $2,500 fine for punching then-Tampa Bay Lightning player Barclay Goodrow during the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

But perhaps the most renowned incident occurred in 2017 when former Arizona Coyotes player Zac Rinaldo got a six-game suspension for a sucker punch on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard. Based on the few mentioned precedents above, the DoPS has enough to suspend Bennett for at least two games.

Brad Marchand was absent from Game 4 due to an upper-body injury. The Panthers prevailed in the matchup 3-2 and now have a 3-1 lead in the series.