After the win of the Pittsburgh Penguins against the New York Islanders of 7-3, Alexei Ponikarovsky, forward for the Penguins, was suspended by the NHL for two games, which are the final two games of the regular season. This suspension comes due to a hit on Josh Bailey, the Islanders forward, from behind.

The hit came in the third period of the game and he received a major penalty of five minutes for boarding as well as a game misconduct. After the hit, Bailey headed towards the locker room rather than getting back out on the ice and returning to play.

Ponikarovsky will have to forfeit $21, 813.48 that will go to the Player’s Emergency Assistance Fund. This same type of punishment was given to Daniel Carcillo, forward of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The playoff spot has been secured for the Penguins, but it still comes as a concern that they may struggle with Ponikarovsky being suspended for the next and final two games of the season. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils are currently tied in the Atlantic Division for first place, but the tiebreaker is currently held by the Devils.

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