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Islanders Forward Suspended for Illegal Check

A New York Islanders forward has been suspended for an illegal check.

Jacob Punturi

Dec 29, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Islanders right wing Maxim Tsyplakov (7) skates up ice with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Dec 29, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Islanders right wing Maxim Tsyplakov (7) skates up ice with the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Following a questionable body check in a recent game, a New York Islanders forward is facing a mutl-game suspension. The NHL's Department of Player Safety assessed Maxim Tsyplakov with a three-game suspension following an illegal check delivered on Philadelphia Flyers forward Ryan Poehling.

The suspension for the Islanders' winger comes a few hours after he was called for an in-person hearing for the hit. The incident occurred during the first period of the game against the Flyers. In the DoPS explanation of the hit, Tsyplakov's hit was described as a classic example of a late hit to the head.

"Both elements of the illegal check to the head rule are satisfied on this play," they noted. "First, the head is the principle point of contact. While Tsyplakov does make some glancing shoulder-on-shoulder contact on this hit, his shoulder makes direct and forceful contact with Poehling's head and it is Poehling's head that absorbs the vast majority of this check."

The league went on to explain that it wasn't just the contact to the head that earned Tsyplakov the suspension. The other reason was that the head contact was deemed avoidable, putting him at even more fault for the play.

"The head contact on this check is avoidable," they stated. "Tsyplakov chooses an angle of approach that cuts across the front of Poehling's core and makes the head the main point of contact."

Now, Tsyplakov will serve his first NHL suspension. The 26-year-old winger is in his first NHL season with the Islanders following a 31-goal campaign in the KHL. In his first year in the league, he's been one of the Isles' better players. He has seven goals and 19 points through the first half of the season, skating in just over 15 minutes of ice-time per night. The Islanders will now have a hole in their top-six group for the next few games while Tsyplakov serves his suspension.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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