Thornton given 15-game penalty

New York • Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton was suspended for 15 games without pay the NHL on Saturday for punching and injuring unsuspecting Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik.

"It says volumes about getting that kind of play out of the game," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "I think it's a pretty strong message."

Thornton went after Orpik during a stoppage in play Dec. 7, slew-footing him to the ice and punching him twice. Orpik sustained a concussion and was taken off the ice on a stretcher. Earlier, Orpik hit Boston's Loui Eriksson, knocking him out of the game with a concussion.

Thornton was assessed a match penalty. Orpik hasn't played since the game.

"This cannot be described as a hockey play that went bad, or do we consider this a spontaneous reaction to an incident that just occurred," NHL vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan said in the video announcing the suspension.

"It is our view that this was an act of retribution for an incident that occurred earlier in the game, the result of this action by Thornton was a serious injury to Orpik."

The suspension will cost Thornton $84,615. He served three games of the ban before the length of the suspension was determined.

"I will be consulting with the Bruins, my representation and the NHLPA about next steps, and will be in a position to address the matter publicly after speaking with those parties," Thornton said in a statement released by the Bruins. "Until then I will have no further comment."

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli also released a statement.

"We respect the process, including the ability to attend and present our case in person," Chiarelli said. EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Boston 32 22 8 2 46 90 64

Montreal 34 20 11 3 43 87 73

Tampa Bay 32 18 11 3 39 87 80

Detroit 34 15 10 9 39 89 91

Toronto 34 17 14 3 37 97 99

Ottawa 34 13 15 6 32 96 111

Florida 33 11 17 5 27 76 108

Buffalo 33 7 23 3 17 55 96

Metropolitan Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Pittsburgh 34 23 10 1 47 105 74

Washington 32 17 12 3 37 100 93

Carolina 34 14 13 7 35 79 94

Columbus 33 14 15 4 32 85 92

New Jersey 34 13 15 6 32 78 85

Philadelphia 32 14 15 3 31 72 86

N.Y. Rangers 33 15 17 1 31 72 88

N.Y. Islanders 34 9 19 6 24 83 118

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Chicago 35 23 7 5 51 132 100

St. Louis 31 22 6 3 47 110 73

Colorado 31 21 9 1 43 88 73

Minnesota 35 19 11 5 43 81 81

Dallas 31 15 11 5 35 90 93

Nashville 33 16 14 3 35 77 92

Winnipeg 34 14 15 5 33 90 100

Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Anaheim 34 22 7 5 49 108 87

Los Angeles 33 22 7 4 48 93 65

San Jose 33 20 7 6 46 108 82

Vancouver 34 19 10 5 43 92 81

Phoenix 32 18 9 5 41 104 100

Calgary 32 13 15 4 30 83 102

Edmonton 34 11 20 3 25 91 117

NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.

Saturday's games

Minnesota 2, Colorado 1, SO

Calgary 2, Buffalo 1, OT

Los Angeles 5, Ottawa 2

Dallas 6, Winnipeg 4

Toronto 7, Chicago 3

Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 1

New Jersey 3, Tampa Bay 0

Montreal 1, N.Y. Islanders 0, OT

St. Louis 4, Columbus 3, OT

Nashville 3, San Jose 2

Carolina 3, Phoenix 1

Boston at Vancouver, late

Sunday's games

Philadelphia at Washington, 1 p.m.

Tampa Bay at Detroit, 3 p.m.

Florida at Montreal, 4 p.m.

Calgary at N.Y. Rangers, 5 p.m.

Los Angeles at Chicago, 5 p.m.

Edmonton at Anaheim, 6 p.m.