Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will sit for four games after he was suspended for a cross-check to the head/neck area of Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk Saturday night.
Landeskog was given a minor on the play, but the situation and severity of the cross-check caused this to be looked at by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
As the video notes, Landeskog has a suspension history with the DoPS but was not considered a repeat offender because his last run-in was over 18 months ago.
When you look at where the puck is, when the final blow is delivered and, of course, where Landeskog gets Tkachuk, it’s clear cut that he was going to sit for a few games. After being suspended three games in March 2016 for a similar cross-check to Simon Despres of the Anaheim Ducks, he said there was, “no excuse for anything like that. ...It was just a really, really, really dumb play on my part.” We’ll likely be hearing a similar quote from him in the coming days.
The four-game ban will cost Landeskog $119,815.68 in salary. He’s eligible to return to the Colorado lineup for their Dec. 7 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.