It’s not often that a goaltender has a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. Former San Jose Sharks netminder Aaron Dell — now with the Buffalo Sabres — met with the department yesterday and was assessed a three-game suspension for his illegal shoulder check to Ottawa Senators forward Drake Batherson.
The hit occurred with a little more than a minute remaining in the first period of Tuesday’s game between the two teams. Dell came out of the crease to play the puck behind the net to defender Mattias Samuelsson, with Batherson in pursuit.