Ottawa Senators forward Ridly Greig has been suspended one pre-season and one regular-season game for cross-checking Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, the department of player safety announced Monday.
The play occurred during the second period of Sunday’s game between the Senators and Jets.
In the offensive zone, Dubois went in to finish a check on Greig, who raised his stick up before contact was made, ultimately hitting the Jets forward in the face.
The call on the ice was initially a double-minor for high-sticking. After further review during a stoppage in play, the call was increased to a cross-checking major and a game misconduct.
“I don’t think he did it on purpose,” Dubois said after the game. “I think he just got scared, threw his stick up. He saw me coming and threw his stick up to defend himself, which is obviously against the rules for an obvious reason. It is what it is.”
Dubois missed the remainder of the second period while he received 15 stitches. He returned for the third period, finishing with 18 shifts for 16 minutes and 34 seconds of ice time.