It wasn’t a surprise but the department of player safety announced this evening that Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel was suspended two games. He delivered an illegal check to the head of Colorado Avalanche forward Carl Soderberg.
The suspension falls in line with the precedent that was set a few weeks ago when Connor McDavid put a similar hit on New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy and was also suspended for two games.
Eichel will the Sabres game against the Dallas Stars on Tuesday and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. He’ll be eligible to return Saturday when the Sabres visit the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Sabres recalled forward Alex Nylander in the meantime to fill the spot that will be vacated by Eichel. We’ll see if he remains with the club after Eichel returns from his suspension.
This is the 22-year-old center’s first career suspension. You can see the full explanation from the NHL Department of Player Safety below.
Buffalo’s Jack Eichel has been suspended for two games for an Illegal Check to the Head on Colorado’s Carl Soderberg. https://t.co/azZzem66w5
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) March 10, 2019