Canada’s Bowen Byram will miss Sunday’s game at the men’s World Hockey Championship after he was suspended one game for slashing Finland’s Jesse Puljujärvi.
Byram, 22, a defenceman who plays for the Buffalo Sabres, was initially assessed a five-minute major and ejected on the play in question, which occurred at 15:20 in the first period of Saturday’s 5-3 win.
On Sunday, the IIHF announced the additional discipline, saying: “The Championship Disciplinary Panel determined the Player swung his stick into the groin area of FIN No. 13, with a degree of force which could have endangered FIN No. 13, therefore violated Official Playing Rule 61 (Slashing). Additionally, it was considered that the level of force used by the Player while not looking in the direction of where he was swinging his stick, heightens the level of recklessness displayed by the Player.”
Canada, which is 4-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) after five games and in second place in Group A, faces Switzerland on Sunday in Prague.
