Brennan Takes 10 for the Team

Winger Kip Brennan, suspended 10 games by the NHL for returning to the ice after he was sent to the locker room Friday, will surely miss the $24,444.40 in salary he’ll forfeit. But he said Saturday he didn’t consider the consequences when he tried to rejoin the fray.

“I saw [Wayne] Primeau grab [Sean] Avery and we were outnumbered, so ... “ he said. “I wasn’t thinking about [a suspension]. I was just thinking about my team. My job is to protect my teammates. It’s unfortunate it will cost me 10 games.”

Brennan said he became irate because San Jose’s Scott Thornton “blatantly sucker-punched [Maxim] Kuznetsov from behind.... It was a dirty play.”

General Manager Dave Taylor tried to appeal the suspension to Colin Campbell, NHL director of hockey operations. But he said Brennan’s actions were clear-cut, warranting an automatic suspension. He can’t be replaced on the roster.

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Jason Allison, who had been practicing at HealthSouth while recovering from post-traumatic stress-related migraines, didn’t skate Saturday because he didn’t feel good, Coach Andy Murray said. However, trainer Pete Demers said it’s not a setback. “You look at it as how are you this week compared to last week,” Demers said. “You don’t look at it day to day.” Allison was to see Dr. Michael Mellman on Saturday but did not feel good enough to attend the game. .

Ian Laperriere and Lubomir Visnovsky (concussions) remain out.... Goalie Roman Cechmanek (hip injury) missed his third straight game.... Kuznetsov, a minus-four Friday, was scratched Saturday and replaced by Bryan Muir. “He’s a big man and he needs to compete a lot harder,” Murray said.... Taylor planned to fly to Finland today to scout the World Junior Championships.