Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been suspended five games for elbowing New Jersey Devils forward Marcus Johansson, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.
The incident occurred late in the third period of Tuesday night's game. Player Safety determined Marchand - who argued he was protecting himself - initiated the contract with Johansson.
Marchand is considered a repeat offender and will forfeit $373,475.60 for the infraction. It marks the sixth time the 29-year-old has been suspended to go along with three previous fines, for a total of just under $873,000 in forfeited money over his career, according to CapFriendly.
Marchand is still invited to the All-Star Game. The suspension does not change that.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 24, 2018
Word out of New Jersey is that Johansson suffered a concussion on the play, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports. The Swede sustained a concussion earlier this season that kept him out of the lineup from Nov. 3 to Nov. 27.
(Video courtesy: NHL.com)
