Montreal Canadiens winger Max Pacioretty has been suspended three games for his hit on Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Kris Letang on Saturday.
Pacioretty had an over-the-phone hearing with NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan on Monday to discuss the hit that left Letang bloodied with a broken nose.
No penalty was called on the play.
Letang left the game for repairs before returning in overtime to score the winning goal in a 4-3 Penguins victory.
"I feel terrible that he got hurt and I'm thankful that he came back," Pacioretty said following the game.
"It's a quick decision there. He's coming across the middle, he's got the puck and is maybe in a scoring opportunity. If I let him go, he could potentially score on us. I knew I had to hit him but I didn't want the result to be like that.
"I'm sorry for what happened and I'm glad he's okay."
Pacioretty was diagnosed with a severe concussion and a cervical neck fracture when Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara guided him into a stanchion back on March 8.
