Jesse Puljujarvi could wind up missing the start of the NHL playoffs with a suspension.
The Panthers forward was assessed a match penalty for a hit to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning winger Mitchell Chaffee in Florida’s 5-1 loss on Tuesday.
The incident occurred with 11:40 left in the third period. Chaffee received the puck in the offensive zone, and a crossing Puljujarvi put his shoulder into his head, knocking the Lightning forward to the ice.
Immediately after the play, the two teams got into a scrum and Panthers forward Nico Sturm and Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons dropped the gloves.
Before exiting the game, Puljujarvi had eight hits and one shot on goal in 13:45 of ice time.
Puljujarvi was only skating in his fifth game with the Panthers since joining the organization on an American Hockey League PTO in February and later signing a two-way contract. He suited up for 26 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the season before having his contract terminated.
He has played in five of the team’s last six games as the Panthers rest players ahead of the post-season. The Finland native has one goal with the Panthers, along with three goals and six assists from his time with the Penguins.
