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No Suspension for Flyers' Ray Emery

Flyers goaltender Ray Emery will not receive any supplemental discipline for his conduct in Friday night's 7-0 loss to Washington.

The news was first reported by ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

Emery charged out of his crease and dropped the gloves with unwilling combatant in Capitals goalie Braden Holtby. Emery wailed away with punches while the NHL's on-ice officials did not intervene.

Emery was tossed from the game. He received two minutes for instigation, two minutes for leaving the crease, five minutes for fighting, a 10-minute misconduct and a game misconduct.

He is expected to be in uniform tonight when the Flyers take on New Jersey. Apparently, there is no specific rule in the rule book which would allow the NHL to suspend or fine Emery, since there is already a rule in place for aggressors in unwanted fights. According to LeBrun, the league's hockey operations department deliberated for hours. They would have needed to make some sort of decision prior to tonight's game.

Emery was unrepentant for his actions after the game, the most lopsided Flyers shutout loss at home in franchise history.

"I said basically 'protect yourself,'" Emery said he warned Holtby. "He didn't really have much of a choice."

The Flyers didn't escape their created melee without harm. Forward Steve Downie, playing his first game as a Flyer since 2008, remains in Pennsylvania Hospital after sustaining a concussion in his second period fight. Downie needed to be carted from Wells Fargo Center on a stretcher some two-plus hours after his fight, unable to leave under his own power.

Downie is expected to be released from the hospital sometime Sunday, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.

Vinny Lecavalier could return as soon as Tuesday in Carolina from his facial contusion, sustained in his third period fight which happened simultaneously with Emery's bullying. Forward Tye McGinn was recalled from the Phantoms and Jay Rosehill will also play against the Devils.