Bylsma is suspended pending review by Bettman and his peeps. The idea is that it guarantees a review of the situation. All things considered, it is likely that this suspension will be lifted tomorrow, and Bylsma will not miss any actual games. At least not as a result of Rule 70.10, which is the one about players leaving the bench, and the rule at work here. Even if the NHL wants to do some example-setting, it’s difficult to see how they could justify doing it here.

However, there is room for supplementary discipline to be handed out to players and/or coaches as a result of the game in general, and as a result of other specific incidents. If the NHL does decide to make an example of PIT/NYI, and if they decide to do it by way of the coaches, then my guess is that both coaches face discipline, and not just one of them.

So does Capuano (spelling?) get suspended too? Because it’s ridiculous if it’s just Bylsma.

This Jack Capuano (Isles’ coach) quote from the Trib article on the game was a little troubling to me as it seems as though he was condoning the players’ behavior on the ice- be it regarding running up the score or even all the extracurricular action:

“As a staff, we prepare our guys, but the players play the game,” Islanders coach Jack Capuano said, adding that he “absolutely (did) not” tell his players to let up late with the score out of reach. “I have no problems with them. They took action the way they saw fit.”

Trib Link