Montreal Canadiens forward Paul Byron was suspended three games without pay by the NHL on Wednesday for his hit on Florida Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar in Tuesday's game.
Byron received a two-minute charging penalty at the 3:40 mark of the second period when he drove Weegar into the boards. The defenseman's helmet came off as a result of the hit and he struggled to get up. He left the game and did not return with what the Panthers said was an upper-body injury.
The Canadiens beat the slumping Panthers 5-1 in the game.
Byron, 29, has 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games this season. The 25-year-old Weegar has seven points in 42 games.
