Calgary Flames forward Connor Zary has been suspended two games for elbowing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson.

Zary’s illegal elbow came at 11:19 of the first period. Petterson had just bumped Calgary’s Nazem Kadri off the puck with a legla hit on the zone entry. Zary cut across the ice to deliver a high, retaliatory elbow on Pettersson. Referees Chris Lee and Tom Chmielewski issued Zary a minor penalty for interference. As there was no major penalty called on the ice, the hit was not eligible for video review by the on-ice officials.

From the NHL’s Department of Player Safety:

Wednesday night in Calgary, Flames forward Connor Zary was penalized for extending his elbow to deliver a late high retaliatory hit against Canucks defenseman Elias Petterson.

As the video shows, the Flames skate the puck through the neutral zone with Petterson defending and Zary on the rush in support. The puck is flipped towards the net and Petterson finishes a clean hard check on the flames player. Then, after the hit and disregarding the rest of the play, Zary tracks Petterson, raises his elbow and forearm, and elevates upward into a check, striking Petterson with an extended arm and making significant contact with Petterson’s head. This is elbowing.

It is important to note that this is not a case where a player’s sudden movements cause a hitter to reflexively extend an elbow in a way that turns a legal hit into an illegal one.

On this play, Zary sees a teammate take a hard-but-legal check and responds intentionally in retribution by delivering a hit with his extended elbow that makes significant head contact and is delivered with requisite force for supplemental discipline.

 

The Flames forward has not previously been fined nor suspended by the National Hockey League.

Zary forfeits $8,993.06 as a result of the suspension. He’s eligible to return to the Flames lineup when they visit the New York Rangers on March 18.