Robert Bortuzzo Deservedly Gets Two Games For Jagr Hit

They said yes to both, and suspended the Penguins defenseman for two games on Wednesday.

In a video explaining the decision, player safety director Patrick Burke cited the hit’s “extreme lateness, predatory nature and significant head contact” as reasons for the suspension.

The zoomed-in video shows contact to the head. Bortuzzo and Jagr had battled throughout the first period of the game.

Bortuzzo will lose a little less than $6,500 during the ban. He’d never been suspended.

Bright side: Although Jagr left the game, according to the video, the Devils reported no further injury.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is down another defenseman. Bortuzzo had replaced Kris Letang (lower-body injury). Brian Dumoulin and Scott Harrington, AHL prospects with minimal NHL experience, are likely to replace Bortuzzo.