The NHL Department of Player Safety has suspended Sharks forward Joachim Blichfeld two games without pay for an illegal check to the head of Nathan MacKinnon in the third period the other night.
For anyone who saw the hit that Blichfeld laid on MacKinnon last night, this punishment shouldn't come as much of a surprise. The NHL DoPS also ruled that MacKinnon's head was "the main point of contact" and the hit was "avoidable."
Blichfeld only had 5:21 of ice time in the Sharks' previous game before he was ejected after being assessed a match penalty and a five-minute major. The disciplinary actions handed to Blichfeld were a bit harsh considering that he isn't an NHL regular, having only played in four NHL games last season before Wednesday's game against the Avalanche.
At the end of the day, the NHL has been and is still aiming to eliminate head shots, and the league will come down hard on anyone who makes contact with another player's head regardless of players' disciplinary histories.
Source: NBC Sports Bay Area/California
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