The Chicago Blackhawks are still waiting to hear back from the NHL league office concerning the C Andrew Shaw suspension, but the 20-year-old rookie feels confident the league has already decided on the matter:
"I’ve thought about [what I’m going to say], but they’ve probably made their decision by now," Shaw said Monday after practice at Johnny’s IceHouse West. "I’ll respect the outcome. It’s their decision. They know what’s appropriate."
Shaw hit Phoenix Coyotes G Mike Smith in the second period, but contests the collision was an accident and not worth a suspension:
"I’m upset I made contact. I didn’t try to," Shaw said. "I tried getting out of the way. It’s just that last-minute [instance] of his head coming forward kind of looked bad...
"No [I did note reach out to Smith], but I saw his [quotes]," Shaw said. "He said he was 100 percent OK. I’m glad. You never try to go out there and try to hurt somebody deliberately. An accidental collision like that, I’m just glad he’s OK."
The Blackhawks resume their playoff series against the Coyotes on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. CT.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this series, visit Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey and Coyotes blog Five For Howling. For more NHL Playoffs coverage, head over to SB Nation's NHL news hub.