Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Matt Niskanen received a one-game suspension by the NHL’s department of player safety following his cross-check to the face of Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher.
The Canadiens announced Thursday that Gallagher suffered a broken jaw that will require surgery and force him to miss at least the remainder of the quarter-final round against the Flyers.
Niskanen dealt the cross-check to Gallagher late in the third period of Game 5 on Wednesday, when he and Gallagher were battling in the corner. Gallagher’s mouth was bloodied by the check and he had to be attended to on the bench.
Niskanen, who is plus-two in eight post-season games, won’t be available for Game 6 on Friday. But if the Canadiens extend the series to Game 7, the Flyers’ blue-liner would be able to return.
[relatedlinks]
