Andrew Ference and the Bruins won’t wait long to hear if the veteran defenseman will be in the mix for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ference caught Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski with an elbow in the first period of the Bruins’ 4-1 win in Game 1 on Wednesday night in Boston. The play wasn’t ruled a penalty on the ice, but according to reports, Ference will have to answer to the league. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos was the first to report that the Boston blue liner has an afternoon hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Ference dodged questions about the elbow after the game, claiming to not recall the play in question.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Ference said with a laugh. “I don’t know which play you’re talking about.”
Toronto head coach Randy Carlyle wasn’t necessarily calling for Ference’s head after the game.
“To me, those are hits in the game,” he said. “Sometimes in the playoffs, you’re going to see physicality. It’ll be front and center. It’s a game that’s made to be physical. You’re allowed to hit people. To judge if it was offside, a bad hit, or a belligerent hit, that’s not for me to judge. That’s for people in the league to make those determinations. ”
See the hit in the video below.
