NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld Wednesday the four-game suspension issued to the Boston Bruins‘ Charlie McAvoy for an illegal check to the head.
McAvoy appealed his four-game suspension for his illegal check to the head as well as interference on Florida Panthers defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Monday.
Because the suspension was for fewer than six games, Bettman made the final call.
McAvoy sat out his first game on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
McAvoy received a five-minute match penalty and was ejected from the game after what looked like a blind-side hit to Ekman-Larsson’s head.
Ekman-Larsson went down initially but remained in the game after the hit.
The illegal check occurred in the third period shortly after McAvoy scored the game-tying goal.
The 25-year-old defenceman had been suspended once in his seven years with the Bruins, when he got one game for a hit to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson in the 2019 playoffs.