PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was suspended one game on Tuesday for hitting Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov from behind during Game 3 of the teams' Eastern Conference first-round playoff series, the NHL announced.
Bellemare had a phone hearing with the NHL's department of player safety earlier Tuesday to discuss the incident. He will miss Game 4 at home Wednesday night as Philadelphia tries to avoid a sweep.
During Washington's 6-1 win over the Flyers on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center, Bellemare received a five-minute major and a game misconduct at 12:17 in the third period. As Orlov lay on the ice, a scrum broke out behind the Capitals' net. Orlov was not injured on the play; he continued playing after a trainer tended to him on the bench.
"For anyone who knows Belly, that was not an intentional play. It's an unfortunate play all the way around," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said after the game. "That wasn't a discipline issue whatsoever. The last five, six, seven minutes were a tough seven minutes to play, but we did the best we could."
When a hearing is held by phone, it typically means that if a penalty is imposed, it will be a fine or a suspension of less than five games.