Hayden Hodgson's dangerous hit from behind puts a suspension in play

Senators winger Hayden Hodgson got a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Brandt Clarke of the Kings on Thursday night.

Now comes the part that matters more than the penalty itself. Does the Department of Player Safety decide to take a closer look?

Hodgson's night ended early. He logged just 4:44 of ice time and finished with 15 PIM, plus one shot on goal.

A major and a game misconduct on the same play is not a routine call. The officials saw something they wanted off the ice immediately.

Los Angeles went on to win 6-5 in overtime, which means Ottawa lost a one-goal game without one of its skaters for most of the night.

Clarke stayed in the game and played 11:37, picking up an assist on the power play. No injury is listed for him as of now.

Gino Hard put the incident on the table in the simplest terms, saying Hodgson was handed a major and a game misconduct for boarding Clarke.

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Our earlier look at Hayden Hodgson's boarding hit on Brandt Clarke covered the chaos that followed in Los Angeles.

Why Hodgson's record could shape any supplemental discipline

Hodgson is 30 years old and has played 4 games this season without a point. He is a depth forward whose role is small, and his margin for error is smaller.

That matters, because a player on the fringe of the lineup can't afford to become the story. A suspension would hand the Senators a roster decision they didn't want.

Over his NHL career, Hodgson has 23 games played, one goal and two assists. This is a player still fighting for every shift, and Thursday night did him no favors.

Clarke is a different case. He's a 23-year-old defenseman with 8 points through 11 games this season, and the Kings count on him in key situations.

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The Senators will wait to see whether the league wants to go further than the officials did. If it does, the length of any ban will say a lot about how seriously Player Safety views boarding this early in the season.

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