Washington Capitals' forward Alexander Ovechkin has been suspended two games after his knee-on-knee hit with Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Tim Gleason.
Ovechkin was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct on the play which left both players sprawled on the ice.
"I regret that this has happened," Ovechkin said in a statement. "I'm glad that Tim wasn't injured because I never ever want to see anyone get hurt. I am disappointed to miss these games and I can't wait to get back on the ice next week to help my team."
It was Ovechkin's second game misconduct in the last three games.
The Russian sniper is listed as day-to-day with a sore knee and skated for about five minutes before the start of Tuesday's practice.
"It's not a bad injury," Ovechkin told The Canadian Press. "I thought it was going to be worse, but thank God I can walk, I can skate. Of course, it's a little bit sore, but it's not that serious."