Rangers’ Prust Gets 1-Game Ban As Torts Takes Shot At Devils

Rangers forward Brandon Prust has been suspended for one game by the NHL for his elbow to the head of New Jersey Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov during New York's win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Prust had a telephone hearing, his first in five NHL seasons, with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan on Sunday to discuss the elbow he landed to the back of Volchenkov's helmet early in the second period of the Rangers' 3-0 win on Saturday. New York leads 2-1 in the series that continues with Game 4 in New Jersey on Monday night.

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Prust will miss that game and could be replaced by forward Brandon Dubinsky, who has been out since Game 7 of the first round because of an injured right foot.

Volchenkov stayed down on the ice for a bit before going to the bench. He was uninjured and didn't miss a shift. No penalty was called on the play.

Rangers coach John Tortorella defended Prust on Sunday and said he didn't feel the hit warranted a suspension, but the NHL disagreed. Tortorella accused the Devils of embellishing to draw penalties against the Rangers in the Eastern Conference finals.

"We tell our players, `Don't stay down on the ice. Get up,"' Tortorella said Sunday. "I'll leave it at that. If we want to start discussing officials with the media, I have a long list here."

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)