The Flyers won’t lose Matt Niskanen for any games during their playoff push.
The veteran defenseman did not receive a suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety for taking a big whack on Gustav Nyquist during the Flyers’ 4-3 OT win Thursday night over the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena.
Niskanen was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for the slash, which occurred in the second period of a testy game. There was no whistle on the play.
With 21 games remaining, the Flyers entered Friday in third place of the Metropolitan Division and holding an 81.3 percent chance to make the postseason, according to Hockey-Reference.com.
The steady and reserved Niskanen has been huge to the team’s 2019-20 turnaround, helping bring out the best in Ivan Provorov on the Flyers’ top defensive pair.
NHL
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