• ESPN News Services

Oct 24, 2023, 05:10 PM ET

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld

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    Bettman wrote in his ruling that the NHL Players’ Association was seeking a reduction of the suspension from four games to three.

    “Given the nature and circumstances of the hit, I find that any mitigating factors here are insufficient to warrant a reduction in the department of Player Safety’s discipline,” Bettman wrote.

    Andersson will forfeit nearly $95,000 in pay for the duration of the suspension, which will keep him out of Saturday’s Heritage Classic against the rival Oilers outdoors at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium. He is eligible to return Nov. 1 against Dallas.

    Andersson, 26, has three points (one goal, two assists) in five games this season. He has 164 points (28 goals, 136 assists) and 187 penalty minutes in 382 games with the Flames, who drafted him in the second round in 2015.

    On Monday, the Blue Jackets placed Laine on injured reserve, and Columbus recalled forward Dmitri Voronkov from the AHL to fill the roster spot. Officially, Laine, 25, is day-to-day with an upper body injury following the hit.

    Information from Reuters was used in this report.