David Pastrnak Suspended Two Games For Hit To Head Of Rangers' Dan Girardi [VIDEO]
BOSTON (CBS) -- Bruins winger David Pastrnak has been suspended two games for his hit to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi on Wednesday night. Pastrnak was penalized for the hit for an illegal hit to the head.
In a video released on Friday on NHL.com, the NHL Department of Player Safety explained Pastrnak's punishment, calling the incident "a high hit" that was "making the head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was unavoidable."
"Pastrnak unnecessarily extends up and into the head of Girardi, delivering a blow to the head and knocking him to the ice," the video explains. It added that Girardi was eligible for a legal hit on the play, but Pastrnak could have made his hit lower and Girardi's head did not move in a fashion that affected the contact to it.
"If Pastrnak wishes to deliver this hit, he must stay low and hit through Girardi's core," the video concludes. The two-game suspension would be the first punishment of any kind in Pastrnak's career.