Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry has been slapped with a two-game ban by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety after slapping Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg in the head with his stick in Winnipeg on Friday night.
The swing at Forsberg’s head happened at 14:35 of the third period in Winnipeg’s 5-3 win. Forsberg and Lowry had been battling behind Winnipeg’s net. Lowry won the battle and Forsberg laid a clean hit on Lowry, prompting Lowry to flail his stick in Forsberg’s direction, cracking him in the side of the face.
Lowry was assessed a minor penalty for high-sticking on the play.
“It was not a situation where a player simply loses control of his stick or one where and off-balance player flails to steady himself,” DoPS head George Parros said in the suspension video. “This is a reckless stick swing that strikes an opponent at a dangerous height. No matter where he intends the blow to land, Lowry must be in control and responsible for his stick.”
Lowry, the team’s third-line center, will miss Winnipeg’s games against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday and Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He will be eligible to return Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Under the terms of the CBA Lowry will forfeit $31,362.00. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Lowry was suspended once before, back in November of 2017, after drilling Patrick Kaleta from behind in a game against the Buffalo Sabres.
Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck