Frank Nazar will be sidelined for the next few games.
The Chicago Blackhawks forward was suspended two games for an illegal check to the head on New York Islanders captain Bo Horvat, the NHL's department of player safety announced Friday.
This is the first suspension for the 22-year-old.
The ban stems from a hit that came with less than two minutes remaining in Thursday's game, the Islanders leading 3-1 and the Blackhawks' net empty.
After a blocked shot, Horvat collected the puck in the defensive end and fired the puck into the empty cage at the other end of the ice.
Just after Horvat released the puck, Nazar caught him up high with a shoulder to the head area.
Horvat did get to his feet, but Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters after the game that the captain was being evaluated.
The hit caused a huge scrum, with Blackhawks forward Tyler Bertuzzi and Logan Stanley receiving 10-minute misconducts to go along with Nazar's match penalty.
