Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov has been suspended three games for elbowing New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.
Komarov elbowed McDonagh in the head Thursday night in the first period, sending the Rangers' captain to the ice. The league cited Komarov's deliberate extension of his elbow toward McDonagh's head as the reason for the suspension.
Leo Komarov's three-game suspension will cost him $47,580.64 in salary.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 19, 2016
Komarov had no history with the Department of Player Safety, which factored into the league's decision. McDonagh, meanwhile, only recently returned from a concussion, which he suffered in a fight on Feb. 8. He didn't play again Thursday night after Komarov's hit, logging only 6:57 in total ice time. The Rangers were off Friday and are yet to update McDonagh's condition.
Komarov represented the Maple Leafs at the All-Star Game this season, and spoke Friday, before his hearing, about the incident that got him ejected from Thursday's game.
"I feel sorry for my teammates because I let them down. And I feel real sorry about Ryan, too," he said, according to The Canadian Press' Jonas Siegel. "I'm not trying to hurt people. I'm just hitting. Sometimes it goes like this."
