Calgary Flames winger Milan Lucic was issued a two-game suspension after his double-minor roughing penalty against Columbus forward Kole Sherwood, the league announced Sunday.
It is the 13-year veteran's fourth career suspension.
Lucic turned heads during Saturday night's game against the Blue Jackets when he punched Sherwood in the face after the whistle was blown. Sherwood, a 22-year-old rookie, had put a shot on net at Calgary goaltender David Rittich and offered an extra poke at the puck while Rittich held on for a faceoff.
Kole Sherwood gets dropped by Milan Lucic after jabbing at a puck covered by David Rittich pic.twitter.com/3ZljyNfHoU
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 3, 2019
Once the ensuing scrum was settled down, referees gave Lucic, 31, a four-minute double-minor penalty for roughing and Sherwood a two-minute penalty for slashing. The league announced Saturday that it would consider Lucic's penalty for supplemental punishment, though there was no indication at the time what that supplemental punishment may look like.
Lucic has made a frequent acquaintance of the league's player safety department over his 13-season career. In November 2018, he was fined $10,000 — the maximum amount allowed by the NHL's CBA — for a retaliatory hit on then-Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Mathieu Joseph away from the play.
The Vancouver native does not necessarily qualify as a "repeat offender" because he hadn't been suspended in the last 18 months, but it's likely the player safety department considered his entire history when making the decision.
The Flames shut out the Blue Jackets 3-0 on Saturday; they visit the Washington Capitals on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.