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Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf has been suspended two games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety, the NHL announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Phaneuf is being forced to sit two games because of his hit on Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller on Sunday night. The incident occurred near the end of the third period as Miller was attempting to retrieve a puck in the Boston defensive zone. Phaneuf connected on a hit with Miller's back turned, which did not draw a penalty from on-ice officials but was determined to be a boarding infraction, according to Player Safety.
Dion Phaneuf has been suspended 2 gms for boarding. He will miss games against the Kings & Blues #TMLtalk #Leafs
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 10, 2013
Phaneuf will be a sizable loss for the Maple Leafs, as the captain consumes a large portion of ice-time minutes and faces opposing teams' top competition. Phaneuf leads the Maple Leafs in average ice-time per game (24:13), as well as in average power play minutes (3:28) and is second in short-handed minutes (3:45).
The captain will miss games against the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues. He will be eligible to return for Saturday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
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