The National Hockey League has suspended Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson two games for his hit from behind on Buffalo Sabres winger Jason Pominville during the Blackhawks 4-3 win on Monday.
''There's nothing I can do about that now,'' Hjalmarsson said on Wednesday. ''The league gave me two games and I guess I have to accept that.
''It wasn't too hard of a hit, I guess. Maybe I should have considered him being in a vulnerable position a bit more. It's what [the league] said.''
The incident occurred with 5:42 left in the first period. Pominville sustained a concussion and a gash above his eye that required 7-8 stitches. He was diagnosed in the building without going to a hospital.
''If I could turn back time, I probably would have acted differently but I can't do that,'' Hjalmarsson continued ''It's a fast game out there and you have to make your decisions real fast and sometimes it can get ugly. I really didn't intent to hurt him, and I really hope that Jason gets well as soon as possible.''
Hjalmarsson was given a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct on the play.
''The league felt two games was appropriate, so we'll live with it and move on,'' head coach Joel Quenneville said. ''We missed him for a big part of the last game and got through a tough stretch, so we'll have to do the same thing here for a couple of games.''
