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NHL suspends Flames’ Giordano, Lomberg

Screen Shot 2018-12-07 at 7.50.21 PM

Thursday’s game in Calgary between the Flames and Wild had quite a bit of chaos that resulted in the NHL’s Department of Player Safety issuing a pair of suspensions on Friday.

First, Flames defenseman Mark Giordano was given a two-game suspension for kneeing Wild forward Mikko Koivu.

The Minnesota captain was injured on the play and has since been sent home from the team’s ongoing road trip. The play happened mid-way through the third period of the Flames’ 2-0 win. Giordano was assessed a two-minute minor for tripping on the play.

Here is a look at it as well as the NHL’s explanation for the suspension.

Giordano will miss the Flames’ upcoming games against the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers this weekend before being eligible to return next week against the Philadelphia Flyers. Giordano is the Flames’ top defender and having one of the best seasons of his career with 29 total points (three goals, 26 assists) in 29 games this season while playing close to 25 minutes per game.

Later in the period, Giordano’s teammate, Ryan Lomberg, was ejected from the game after leaving the bench during a legal line change to initiate a fight with Minnesota’s Matthew Dumba.
[Related: Flames’ Lomberg ejected for jumping Dumba after questionable hit]

That altercation came just after Dumba injured Flames forward Mikael Backlund with a big open ice hit.

Lomberg’s penalty for starting a fight in the last five minutes comes with an automatic one-game suspension. The NHL decided on Friday to add an additional game to that suspension, meaning he too will miss the team’s next two games.

Dumba’s hit on Backlund was deemed to be a legal body check by the league.

MORE: Your 2018-19 NHL on NBC TV schedule

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.