Hayden Hodgson’s night ended early in a flashpoint that tilted the second period and sent the Ottawa Senators winger to the dressing room with a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding Brandt Clarke.
The hit came at 11:15 of the second period Thursday at Crypto.com Arena, when Hodgson drove Clarke hard from behind and sent the Los Angeles Kings defenseman into the boards. Clarke needed time to get back on his skates, but stayed in the game. The Kings’ response was immediate, with players around the puck taking issue right away.
Erik Haula was whistled for two minutes for roughing in the aftermath, though Los Angeles still came away with the power play. On that advantage, Artemi Panarin scored his eighth goal of the 2026-27 season to stretch the home side’s lead to 5-1.
For Hodgson, 30, it was another rough chapter in a pro career that has mostly been spent in the AHL and ECHL. The undrafted 6-foot-2 winger from Windsor, Ont., was appearing in just his 24th NHL game and his 17th with Ottawa.
Across his time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Ontario Reign and Belleville Senators, Hodgson has been used mainly as an enforcer. He posted 134 penalty minutes and 11 points in 47 games with Belleville during the 2025-26 AHL regular season, and he was suspended multiple times for illegal hits and other aggressive on-ice behavior.
His NHL résumé includes a brief burst of production early in his career with Philadelphia, when he had a goal and two assists in his first six games in the 2021-22 season. Since then, he has gone scoreless in 18 games over parts of four NHL seasons, while adding 51 penalty minutes along the way.
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