Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe speaks to the media following Florida's 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 10 at Nationwide Arena. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson responded on Tuesday to the suspension levied to him by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Monday night. Gudbranson was suspended one game by the DOPS [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/erik-gudbranson-suspended-1-game-for-incident-with-nick-cousins-during-panthers-win-in-columbus] for going after Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins during Sunday’s game between Florida and Columbus. The actions of Gudbranson were a clear retaliation to an illegal hit by Cousins earlier in that third period. Cousins had been penalized two minutes for boarding after initially being called for a five-minute major, with the officials reviewing the hit and rescinding the more severe penalty. The violent hit caught Gudbranson in a vulnerable position, driving him face-first into the boards with no ability to brace himself. When watching the way Gudbranson went into the boards, it’s understandable why he was so upset after realizing that he had escaped any major injuries. Gudbranson spoke about the hit and his subsequent suspension on Tuesday, with the comments posted by Aaron Portzline of The Athletic [https://twitter.com/Aportzline/status/1734646135065555389]. "That’s a bad hit,” Gudbranson said. “If that hit takes place three feet before that, I end up going down and bending my neck. That’s when you get a compression fracture, and who knows how the rest of your life is?" Portzline reported that Gudbranson said he felt like he’d “been in a car wreck” after the hit and was left with facial cuts, but he was okay overall. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] “My kids were 85 feet away. It's a terrible hit,” he said. “I was walking around pacing the hallways at home, trying to calm down and happy that my legs still worked." As for the suspension, Gudbranson seemed to understand his punishment was reasonable based off his actions on Sunday. "The rule is the rule,” he said. “I got one game for it. Take it and move on.” LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers challenging road trip continues with matchup against struggling Seattle [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-challenging-road-trip-continues-with-matchup-against-struggling-seattle] Erik Gudbranson suspended 1 game for incident with Nick Cousins during Panthers win in Columbus [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/erik-gudbranson-suspended-1-game-for-incident-with-nick-cousins-during-panthers-win-in-columbus] Sam Reinhart named NHL's Third Star of the Week [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/sam-reinhart-named-nhls-third-star-of-the-week] Three takeaways: Tough game for good goaltending, timely penalty kill highlight Panthers road win [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/features/three-takeaways-tough-game-for-good-goaltending-timely-penalty-kill-highlight-panthers-road-win] Rowdy afternoon in Columbus ends with Panthers earning 5-2 victory [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/rowdy-afternoon-in-columbus-ends-with-panthers-earning-5-2-victory] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
