Winnipeg Jets defenceman Brenden Dillon has been suspended for three games for an illegal check to the head against Pittsburgh Penguins forward Noel Acciari that occurred on Tuesday night, the league announced.
Dillon was assessed a match penalty after catching Acciari with a hit to the head as the Penguins forward attempted to enter the offensive zone early in the second period of the Jets’ 3-0 loss on Tuesday. The Winnipeg defenceman left his feet to make the hit.
According to rule 21.1 of the NHL rulebook, a match penalty “shall be imposed on any player who deliberately injures an opponent in any manner.”
Acciari was attended to by Penguins medical staff on the ice before eventually skating to the locker room with some assistance.
The Penguins later announced Acciari would not return to the game.
After the game, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that Acciari is still being evaluated and they will let the league handle any supplemental discipline.
“We’ll allow the league to go through their process like they always do,” Sullivan said. “At the end of the day, our opinions don’t really matter. Our major concern is Noel and his health, and he seems to be doing OK.”
The 33-year-old defenceman came into Tuesday’s game with six goals and nine assists in 47 games.
