NHL

Sestito not fined for Del Zotto hit

The NHL department of player safety absolved Vancouver winger Tom Sestito of wrong-doing on his check Saturday that nailed Michael Del Zotto on the side of his head 2:48 into the third period of the Rangers’ 5-2 Garden victory over the Canucks.

Del Zotto had batted a puck out of mid-air with his right glove when he was pushed from behind by Brad Richardson and rendered defenseless against the onrushing 6-foot-5, 228-pound Sestito, whose left shoulder slammed into the right side of the defenseman’s face.

Coach Alain Vigneault said after the game he hadn’t seen the hit as he was talking at the time to a player on the bench, but had been told by assistant coaches Scott Arniel and Ulf Samuelsson “it was a direct shot to the head.”

Del Zotto, who was bruised around the right eye, told reporters, “I have to see the replay, but I mean, I’m kind of defenseless there looking up in the air to try and play the puck. … It seems to be [Sestito’s] M.O.”

But NHL vice president Brendan Shanahan told The Post on Sunday, “We reviewed the play, and our conclusion was that the little shove from behind by Richardson altered the position of [Del Zotto’s] body and head just prior to contact and changed the dynamic of the hit.

“Also, there was no extension up or out by Sestito targeting the head,” Shanahan wrote in a text message.

Del Zotto took his next shift just over three minutes later. Sestito, who was not penalized on the play and who had narrowly missed crushing Rick Nash just prior to the Blueshirts’ first goal at 12:37 of the first period when Nash managed to duck under an attempted hit after setting up Chris Kreider in front, was challenged by and fought Derek Dorsett at 12:36 of the third.