Ottawa Forward Hayden Hodgson Handed Two Game Suspension

Boarding incident leads to two game ban

Ottawa Senators forward Hayden Hodgson has been suspended for two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety. The ban comes after a disciplinary hearing on Friday following an incident with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke.

The 30 year old forward was playing in his 24th NHL game on Thursday night in Los Angeles. During the middle of the game, Hodgson lined up Clarke from several strides away and drove his head into the glass. Officials gave Hodgson a five minute major penalty for boarding and ejected him from the match.

Discipline history and roster changes

Clarke did not return to the game after the hit. However, the defenseman was able to participate in practice with the Kings on Friday.

Hodgson will forfeit $8,763 in salary because of the suspension. He has a history of disciplinary issues, including 20 games worth of suspensions in the American Hockey League over the past five seasons for elbowing and other offenses. He was also fined $2,018 in October 2025, which was the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for boarding Montreal player Alex Newhook during a preseason game.

The suspension means Hodgson will miss games on Saturday at San Jose and Sunday at Anaheim. He will be eligible to return to action on Wednesday at Buffalo. To fill the open spots, Ottawa recalled wingers Xavier Bourgault and Philip Tomasino from their AHL team in Belleville.

What it means for the next game

Here are the projections from our model for the upcoming games.

Ottawa Senators at San Jose Sharks (NHL, Sat, 31 Oct): San Jose Sharks win 43%, Ottawa Senators win 57%; projected score San Jose Sharks 3, Ottawa Senators 3. Our safest pick: Sharks +1.5. Our best value pick: Sharks +1.5.

Buffalo Sabres at Los Angeles Kings (NHL, Sat, 31 Oct): Los Angeles Kings win 44%, Buffalo Sabres win 56%; projected score Los Angeles Kings 3, Buffalo Sabres 3. Our safest pick: Over 4 goals.