WINNIPEG, Manitoba — It could have been a lot worse.

After describing Duncan Keith’s one-handed stick swing to the face of Minnesota’s Charlie Coyle as “an intentional and retaliatory act of violence by a player with a history of using his stick as a weapon,” the NHL’s Department of Player Safety suspended the Blackhawks defenseman for six games.

That means Keith will only miss one playoff game, and the most heavily leaned-on player on the team will get a two-week break before the postseason begins.

Keith, after nearly being high-sticked in the face himself by Coyle and then being knocked on his back, hit Coyle across the face with a one-handed swing of the stick. He was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure, and had his hearing with the league on Friday afternoon.

In a video detailing the decision, Patrick Burke of the Department of Player Safety said: “While on his back, Keith looks at Coyle, winds his arm back, then slashes his stick dangerously and violently directly into the face of Coyle.” The league also absolved Coyle of any wrongdoing, and even pointed out that had he high-sticked or tripped Keith, it would have been “irrelevant. It would not in any way excuse a response of this kind.” A source said that Keith didn’t even mention the high-stick in his hearing, only the trip that knocked him down.

Given the incendiary language used by the Department of Player Safety, and his two previous suspensions for retaliatory acts, the Hawks are fortunate Keith will only miss one playoff game. Keith can appeal first to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and then to a neutral arbitrator because of the length of the suspension (six or more games). There was no immediate word if Keith would appeal.

“We’re obviously glad it’s not more,” Brent Seabrook said. “He’s such a valuable part of this team. … We’re going to all have to band together and pick up the slack for Dunc. I’m sure he’ll be humming for Game 2.”

Keith, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP after logging more than 31 minutes per game last spring, has yet to speak publicly since the incident. In his absence on Friday night, Trevor van Riemsdyk took Keith’s spot on the top pairing alongside Hjalmarsson. Viktor Svedberg and Michal Rozsival got some of Keith’s time on the penalty-killing unit, and Erik Gustafsson absorbed some of Keith’s power-play minutes.

“One playoff game is very big when you know his importance to our team and the minutes that he absorbs,” Quenneville said. “Some guys here got way more [minutes] than they were accustomed to. I think you could tell some shifts in the third period.”

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com

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