TORONTO — After knocking Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak out of Tuesday’s first-round playoff opener with an illegal hit to the head, Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting was suspended three games by the league’s Department of Player Safety on Wednesday.
In Game 1, Bunting received a five-minute match penalty — and the ejection that accompanies it — after leaving his feet to launch his left elbow into Cernak’s head as the players approached the corner to chase down a puck with 4:20 remaining in the second period of the Lightning’s 7-3 win at Scotiabank Arena.
Cernak remained on the ice for several moments and received help from Lightning head athletic trainer Tom Mulligan. He eventually got to his feet, aided by teammates Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev, and left the ice. Cernak didn’t return to the game.
Coach Jon Cooper on Wednesday ruled Cernak out of Game 2 on Thursday.
The Department of Player Safety determined that Bunting’s hit met both elements of the illegal-check-to-the-head rule: The head was clearly the main point of contact, and the head contact was avoidable. Also, it was determined that Bunting committed interference on the play. That Cernak was injured also played into the ruling.
“This is an illegal check to the head delivered to a player who has no reason to anticipate any contact, let alone contact with sufficient force to cause an injury,” the ruling said.
Asked whether he believed Bunting’s hit warranted a suspension, Cooper said Tuesday that “it seems to check a whole bunch of boxes.”
Both teams expected a physical game to open the postseason, and a confrontation between Cernak and Bunting had been building since the opening minutes of Game 1.
“(Bunting), to me, is trying to set himself up to win a race for the puck,” Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said of the hit. “It got away on him. The guy wasn’t expecting it. I am sure (Bunting) is expecting a battle in that situation, and he didn’t get one.”
The Lightning were already without defenseman Victor Hedman, who left with an undisclosed injury earlier in the game, leaving Tampa Bay with just four healthy defensemen down the stretch. Forward Mikey Eyssimont also left the game with an apparent head injury after receiving an open-ice hit from Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe in the second period. He also is not expected to play Thursday.
After Bunting’s penalty gave the Lightning a five-minute power play, Corey Perry scored to put Tampa Bay up 5-2, the second of three straight power-play goals the Lightning scored to regain control of the game after Toronto had cut their lead to 3-2.
Without Bunting, rookie Matthew Knies will likely join the Toronto lineup. Knies joined the Maple Leafs after his sophomore season at Minnesota ended in the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa this month.
