Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo has been suspended for two games by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety for darting Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry on Tuesday in a 5-2 loss.
DeAngelo received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the action.
The 27-year-old said after the match that he intended to kick Perry but did not intend to hit him in the middle of the body.
“I was trying to give him a little nudge. I had no intention of hitting him there,” DeAngelo told reporters. “He tried to snatch the stick from my hands the second before. He talks the whole game. So I asked him to fight, but he wouldn’t. He’ll tell you he’s been asking me to fight for years. I never say no. So there are not many arguments to make.
“The recovery probably looks worse than it really is. But it’s like that. I received 30 punches while I was on the ground. And when I got up, they wouldn’t let me do what I had to do. It’s like that. ”
DeAngelo, who was suspended by the New York Rangers in 2021 before having his contract bought out, has been suspended once in his NHL career, following an altercation with a referee in 2017.
He had 10 goals and 34 points in 59 games with the Flyers this season, his first with the team after being traded from the Carolina Hurricanes last summer.
