Florida Panthers forward Jesse Puljujarvi received a two-game suspension Thursday for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Mitchell Chaffee.
Puljujarvi had a disciplinary hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Thursday after being assessed a match penalty in Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Lightning.
His hit on Chaffee came with 11:32 remaining in the third period. Chaffee took the puck in the offensive zone before being blindsided with a shoulder to the head by Puljujarvi. Chaffee crumpled to the ice as a scrum ensued between the teams.
With the Panthers’ regular season over, Puljujarvi’s suspension will cover the first two games of Florida’s playoff series with the Lightning. Game 1 is Tuesday, and Game 2 is next Thursday, both in Tampa, Florida.
Puljujarvi, 26, was playing in his fifth game with Florida after joining the team’s AHL club on a professional tryout in February. He played in 26 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season before having his contract terminated. He has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) on the season in 31 games.
The No. 4 overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 draft, Puljujarvi has 128 points (58 goals, 70 assists) in 387 career games with the Oilers (2016-23), Carolina Hurricanes (2023), Penguins (2023-25) and Panthers.
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