St. Louis Blues forward Ivan Barbashev has been suspended for Sunday’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final after delivering an illegal check to the head of Boston Bruins forward Marcus Johansson in Thursday’s Game 5.
The NHL Department of Player Safety issued the discipline on Friday. The Blues hold a 3-2 lead in the series and can win the Cup with a Game 6 victory.
Barbashev was cited for a high check in which his shoulder rattled the head of Johansson in the first period of Thursday’s game, won 2-1 by the Blues.
The Department of Player Safety said that Barbashev delivered a “high, forceful hit that makes Johansson’s head the main point of contact, on a hit where such head contact was avoidable.”
Barbashev was not called for a penalty, and Johansson remained in the game.
The 23-year-old Barbashev has six points (three goals, three assists) in 24 games this postseason. He scored a goal in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
In the regular season, Barbashev scored 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) in 80 games.
–Field Level Media
