Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been suspended for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final for delivering an elbow to the head of Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The NHL’s department of player safety announced the suspension Thursday after a hearing with Sundqvist, who was assessed only a two-minute minor penalty for boarding for the hit that knocked Grzelcyk out of the game and possibly longer.
Sundqvist and Grzelcyk are each out for Game 3 Saturday. Grzelcyk didn’t travel with the Bruins, and coach Bruce Cassidy said the 25-year-old was in concussion protocol and considered day-to-day.
Former Blues captain David Backes didn’t hold back in his criticism.
”It’s from behind, elevated, into his head, into the glass,” Backes said. ”If that’s a two-minute penalty, I think there’s going to be a shortage of defensemen in this series by the end of it. That’s in somebody else’s hands. That’s something I think if I’m making that hit, I’m probably watching from the bleachers for a few.”