Connor McDavid Suspended Two Games For Check To The Head

The NHL has suspended Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid for two games after he made an illegal check to the head of Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy in a 4-3 Oilers win on Thursday night. McDavid’s shoulder made contact with Leddy’s head on a hit where head contact was avoidable, the NHL says in its. In the game itself, McDavid was served with a minor penalty, and went on to score the game-winner in overtime.

As the NHL notes in the video, McDavid has been neither fined nor suspended in his career for any dirty hits, which makes the two-game ban feel a bit extreme. But the discipline does track as fairly consistent with Erik Karlsson’s two-gamer back in December for a hit to the head—another case of an A-list first-time offender. McDavid will be out on Saturday against the Ducks and Monday against the Predators, which will further dampen Edmonton’s already minute ( 5 percent) chance of making the playoffs.