The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Friday that Montreal Canadiens forward Brandon Prust has been suspended two games for a late, high hit on New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night.
Prust was not penalized on the play, which the league determined was a case of interference and not an illegal check to the head.
Stepan left the game briefly but returned to finish the first period. He suffered a broken jaw on the play and will have surgery. His status for the rest of the postseason is uncertain.
This is the second time Prust has been suspended in the playoffs. He was suspended for Game 4 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals for an elbow to the head of New Jersey Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov.
Watch the video explaining the NHL’s suspension ruling below.
