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Slovenia’s Kovacevic suspended for Kopecky headshot, will miss U.S. game

Ice Hockey - Winter Olympics Day 8 - Slovakia v Slovenia

SOCHI, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 15: Sabahudin Kovacevic #86 of Slovenia skates during the Men’s Ice Hockey Preliminary Round Group A game on day eight of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Bolshoy Ice Dome on February 15, 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

Bruce Bennett

Slovenia’s Sabahudin Kovacevic will not be eligible to play against the United States today, according to NHL.com, after receiving a one-game suspension for hitting Slovakia’s Tomas Kopecky in the head during Saturday’s contest.

You can see video of the hit here on NBCOlympics.com.

Kopecky, who will miss today’s game against Russia, could be shelved for a significant length of time. While it hasn’t been confirmed, he might be done for the tournament, according to CBC’s Elliotte Friedman.

If Kopecky suffered a concussion -- which is a strong possibility, given the nature of the hit -- there’s no telling how long he’ll be sidelined for. His injury also compounds the Panthers’ misfortune in the Olympics as the only other player they sent to the games, Aleksander Barkov, might end up missing the next 4-6 weeks.

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