Panthers' Jesse Puljujarvi suspended 2 games for headshot

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 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, Fla.

Puljujarvi, 26, was playing in just 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 before having his contract terminated. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) on the season in 31 games.

The former No. 4 overall pick of Edmonton in the 2016 draft has 128 points (58 goals, 70 assists) in 387 career games with the Oilers (2016-23), Carolina Hurricanes (2023), Penguins (2023-25) and Panthers.

--Field Level Media