Buffalo Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner wasn’t impressed with the three-game suspension handed down to teammate Rasmus Ristolainen, and he let his feelings known.
The 27-year-old was speaking to WKBW Buffalo on Friday, when he suggested that the league wouldn’t have come down so hard on Ristolainen had he been playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Certain teams in this league get the benefit of the doubt and that’s just it,” said Lehner. “If the jerseys were reversed I don’t think we’re standing here talking three games.”
Ristolainen was ejected for a hit on Penguins forward Jake Guentzel on Tuesday. The puck was headed towards Guentzel but got intercepted, making Ristolainen’s contact interference.
The Finnish blueliner admitted on Thursday that his ejection was “probably the right call” but seemed surprised on Friday with the severity of his punishment.
“I didn’t expect anything so like I said, they make the decisions and I have to respect that,” said Ristolainen.
Lehner’s suggestion that the league goes easy on Pittsburgh comes at an interesting time.
The NHL is already taking some heat for a likely decision not to hand out any supplemental discipline to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who mangled the pinky finger of Ottawa defenceman Marc Methot with a slash on Thursday.
Crosby got away with some stickwork on Ryan O’Reilly in Tuesday’s Sabres-Penguins game as well.
“There were other things that happened during that game that should have maybe been under review too, and it just doesn’t happen,” said Lehner.
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