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Raffi Torres earns match penalty vs. Ducks, will have Monday DoPS hearing (Update)

Raffi Torres earns match penalty vs. Ducks, will have Monday DoPS hearing (Update)

Raffi Torres missed all of last season dealing with an ACL issue. He returned this preseason, and in his third game back he reminded us all of Old Raffi Torres.

Midway through the first period of Saturday’s 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, Torres laid this hit on Jakob Silfverberg:

Silfverberg did not return to the game while Torres was handed a match penalty for the hit.

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As you see, Torres was deadset on laying a hit on Silfverberg, even as the puck squirted away from the Ducks forward.

"Same player every year,” said Ryan Kesler, via the Orange County Register. “I played with the guy. He needs to learn how to hit. That has no part in our game any more. He came from across the ice and only made contact with his head. Obviously hope Silfvy’s alright.”

The NHL rulebook states that any player receiving a match penalty is automatically suspended until the Commissioner rules. The Department of Player Safety is very familiar with Torres given his discipline history with four multiple game suspensions, including a 21-game ban in 2012.

How many does Torres get this time around?

UPDATE: The DoPS has announced Torres will have a Monday phone hearing after waiving his right to an in-person meeting. That means the DoPS can hand down a suspension of five games or longer.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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