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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare has been suspended one game for checking Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov from behind.
Bellemare will miss Game 4 on Wednesday as the Flyers try to avoid getting swept by the top-seeded Capitals in the first-round playoff series.
With about 8 minutes left in Game 3 Monday, Bellemare hit Orlov from behind into the boards and was given a major penalty and game misconduct. Orlov was slow to get up but was not injured and returned to the game.
In a video announcing the suspension, Patrick Burke of the NHL's department of player safety said the onus was on Bellemare to avoid hitting a player in a vulnerable position. Bellemare's lack of disciplinary history and Orlov's health factored into the length of the suspension.
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