Phoenix Coyotes Vs. Chicago Blackhawks, NHL Playoffs 2012: Complete Series Coverage

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Raffi Torres Suspended, Termed Repeat Offender By NHL

Phoenix Coyotes winger Raffi Torres has been suspended 25 games for his hit on Marian Hossa and will miss the rest of the NHL playoffs and some of the 2012 NHL season. One of the focal points in the length of Torres' suspension was the fact that he violated three separate rules with the hit, as well as being deemed a "repeat offender" by the NHL's new CBA.

Over the past 13 months Torres has been suspended by the NHL twice for flagrant hits.

In January, Torres was suspended for leaving his feet to check Minnesota Wild defenseman Nate Prosser, a hit similar to the one Torres landed on Hossa in Thursday night's game. NHL Senior Vice President of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan gave Torres a two-game suspension for the Prosser hit. Torres left his feet at Prosser on the same day that he was fined $2,500 for elbowing Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jan Hejda a few games earlier.

Torres was also suspended for four games in April 2011 for a hit on Edmonton Oilers' Jordan Eberle. In the NHL Playoffs that season Torres knocked Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook out of the game with a hard hit behind the net. Torres wasn't suspended then because that type of hit wasn't illegal under the head shot rule at the time.

Stick with SBNation.com for full Coyotes vs. Blackhawks series coverage. For more from the Phoenix perspective, head over to the Five For Howling. For more on the Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey.

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Marian Hossa Injury: Blackhawks Forward Ruled Out For Game 4 Vs. Coyotes

Marian Hossa will miss Game 4 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal against the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night at United Center. Hossa was injured in the first period of Game 3 on a brutal hit by Coyotes forward Raffi Torres. He was taken to the hospital and released on Tuesday night, but his injuries will keep him out of action for at least a game.

Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon, saying that there's "no change" in Hossa's status. He remains at home recovering from his injuries, and no, the Blackhawks haven't spoken publicly about what exactly those injuries are outside of "upper body."

Torres, meanwhile, will miss Game 4 as well. He could miss much more time after being suspended indefinitely by the league for the hit, but that will be decided at an in-person hearing on Friday in New York City.

Stick with SBNation.com for full Coyotes vs. Blackhawks series coverage. For more from the Phoenix perspective, head over to the Five For Howling. For more on the Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey.

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Raffi Torres Suspended Indefinitely Pending NHL Hearing For Marian Hossa Hit

Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres has been suspended indefinitely pending an NHL hearing on Friday for his vicious hit on Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa during Tuesday night's Western Conference Quarterfinal Game 3. Torres will travel to the NHL's office in Manhattan for the in-person hearing, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday but delayed at the request of the NHL Players Association.

The timing of Friday's hearing means Torres will certainly miss Thursday's Game 4 at United Center, but it's likely he misses more. When holding in-person hearings -- as opposed to the over-the-phone variety -- the NHL reserves the right to suspend a player for five games or more, which is certainly possible in this instance. Torres can waive the right to an in-person hearing, but given the NHLPA's delay, it seems as though he'll be making the trip to meet with Brendan Shanahan and the Department of Player Safety.

Video: Raffi Torres' hit on Marian Hossa

Hossa was hospitalized following the hit, which occurred during the first period. It was a late hit in which Torres targeted Hossa's head while leaving his feet -- the illegal trifecta, one might say.

Stick with SBNation.com for full Coyotes vs. Blackhawks series coverage. For more from the Phoenix perspective, head over to the Five For Howling. For more on the Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey.

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Marian Hossa Injury: Blackhawks Forward Briefly Hospitalized After Brutal Hit

Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa was briefly hospitalized Tuesday after suffering a brutal hit by Coyotes forward Raffi Torres. Hossa was skating through the neutral zone without the puck when Torres left his skates to deliver the blow, leading with his shoulder and connecting with Hossa's face. Hossa eventually left the ice on a stretcher.

The Blackhawks released a statement Tuesday evening:

"Marian Hossa suffered an upper body blow in the first period of tonight's game. After initial evaluation on the ice he was taken by ambulance to the hospital for further testing, which yielded encouraging results. He has been released from the hospital, and we are monitoring him closely at home. We anticipate a full recovery in a timetable yet to be determined. "

Torres wasn't penalized on the play, but the NHL may still levy punishment after reviewing the play.

"It's tough. You saw the hit," Chicago's Patrick Kane said between periods, according to the Associated Press. "I think it'll be reviewed by the league. It's just tough you don't get a power play out of it. Hossa's a big part of our team so someone's going to have to step up and fill the void."

The Blackhawks would eventually lose the game in overtime, 4-3. The Coyotes now hold a 2-1 series advantage, with Game 4 being held Thursday in Chicago before the series returns to Phoenix on Saturday.

Stick with SBNation.com for full Coyotes vs. Blackhawks series coverage. For more from the Phoenix perspective, head over to the Five For Howling. For more on the Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey.

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Mike Smith Injury Update: Coyotes Goalie Will Play Game 3 Vs. Blackhawks

Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith will play Tuesday in Game 3 against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center, Darren Dreger of TSN's Hockey Insider reports. Smith took a nasty blow to the helmet behind his own net as Blackhawks rookie Andrew Shaw ran into him face first. Smith was able to finish out the game somehow, though the Coyotes eventually lost 4-3 in overtime.

Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett said that Smith was "100 percent" following the game, but fell back on a vaguer statement that left his goaltender's status in doubt. Smith did not practice Monday, but did take part in the team's morning skate before the game Tuesday.

"Whether it's an injury day or rest day, our prerogative is we don't have to tell everybody why a player practices or not practices," Tippett said. "Why would we do that?"

Shaw earned a three-game suspension for his hit on Smith. Brendan Shanahan explained his decision, saying that Shaw did "did not make a reasonable effort to avoid such contact."

For more on Smith and the Coyotes, head over to the SB Nation blog Five For Howling. For more on the Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey.

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Andrew Shaw Suspended 3 Games For Mike Smith Hit

Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw has been suspended three games for his hit to the head of Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith. Shaw will miss Games 3, 4 and 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal against Phoenix. The NHL's Department of Player Safety announced the suspension on their website on Tuesday afternoon.

Smith is reportedly a game-time decision for Game 3 on Tuesday night at United Center in Chicago, despite the fact that he remained in Game 2 until its conclusion.

Brendan Shanahan, in making the NHL's ruling, asserted that Shaw's actions were not incidental, rather that the contact made between Shaw's shoulder and Smith's head was "unnecessary," and that Shaw "did not make a reasonable effort to avoid such contact."

It appears as though Brendan Shanahan has decided to finally lay down the law. After failing to suspend Shea Weber for intentionally slamming Henrik Zetterberg's into the glass, the NHL's postseason has decended into chaos, and there are certainly a number of people who theorize that Shanahan's lack of action is a reason for that. There are several other suspension decisions pending on Shanahan's desk, so we'll have to wait and see if he follows the same precedent.

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Coyotes Vs. Blackhawks, NHL Playoffs 2012 Game 2: Final Score, Bryan Bickell Stars In Chicago Win

The Chicago Blackhawks are headed to the United Center with a road split after they pulled off a comeback overtime win against the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. Chicago trailed on two separate occasions, but Patrick Sharp netted a game-tying goal with six seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. Just under 11 minutes into the first overtime period, Bryan Bickell netted the winner after Viktor Stalberg made a brilliant play to keep the puck in the offensive zone and found Bickell in the middle of a change.

Antoine Vermette got off to a very poor start in this game with a slash on Patrick Sharp that led to the opening goal for the Blackhawks. They came very close to killing the penalty, but at the very end of the power play, Dave Bolland created a scoring opportunity with a shot on goal. Mike Smith was unable to handle the rebound and Bryan Bickell poked the puck into the net.

Raffi Torres answered for Phoenix in the middle of the period, assisted by Shane Doan, and they would take the lead shortly afterwards. The Coyotes' second came on a controversial power play, given for goalie interference on Jonathan Toews. The replay of the incident indicated that Smith, not Toews, initiated the contact between the two players. Phoenix would capitalize on the power play anyway, with Vermette tipping in a shot by Keith Yandle to give his team the lead.

Brandon Bollig scored his first career goal in the second period to tie the game, but their momentum advantage would evaporate instantly. Less than 30 seconds after that goal, Andrew Shaw hit Mike Smith behind his goal and made contact with Smith's head. He was seriously shaken up, but returned to the game. Shaw was given a game misconduct and ejected. The result was a five-minute power play, on which the Coyotes were able to capitalize once. Vermette scored his second goal of the game, assisted by Yandle once again, as well as Derek Morris.

Chicago attacked the Coyotes' net throughout the third period, but it took them until the very end of the period to score a tying goal. At the end of a long series of pressure with an extra man on the ice, Patrick Sharp deflected an effort by Brent Seabrook into the net with just six seconds remaining in the game to send it to overtime.

If either team was tired, they certainly didn't look like it in the extra period. If anything, overtime was faster paced and more wide open than any of the periods before it. Smith and Corey Crawford were both challenged multiple times, though Smith was certainly on the receiving end of more shots than his counterpart on the other end of the ice. Eventually, the Blackhawks were able to get one past Smith to head back to Chicago with a split.

The Coyotes had the puck deep in their own end and looked to catch the Blackhawks on a change, but Stalberg saw the pass up the ice before coming off and not only kept the puck in his zone, but found a streaming Bickell in the center of the zone. Adrian Aucoin lost him, leaving Bickell to take a free shot, and he beat Smith for the winner.

You can find all of our coverage from this game in our Coyotes Vs. Blackhawks Game 2 StoryStream. For more on the Coyotes, check in with Five For Howling and SB Nation Arizona. For more on the Blackhawks, check in with Second City Hockey and SB Nation Chicago.

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Mike Smith Hit By Andrew Shaw: Goalie Remains In Game, Assailant Ejected