BROSSARD, Quebec _ The NHL has suspended Nick Foligno three games for an illegal hit on Colorado Avalanche left wing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the Blue Jackets' 4-2 loss Saturday night in Denver.
The Jackets' captain will miss a game Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, which will conclude the team's three-game road trip that began last Thursday in Arizona.
Foligno skated with his teammates Monday at practice but wasn't on any of the top four forward lines.
"Nick Foligno, the way he plays the game speaks for itself," coach John Tortorella said after the practice. "He's certainly not looking to hurt someone. That's just not in his DNA. He plays hard. He was looking to drive him, drive that player. Things happen in such a quick moment and we'll find out more about it today."
Foligno was assessed a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct after hitting Bellemare in the neutral zone late in the second period.
Replays showed Foligno's right forearm or elbow make contact with the left side of Bellemare's face, which caused him to recoil and fall awkwardly to the ice. Bellemare's head bounced off the ice before his body fully landed and he left the game.
Foligno initially disagreed with the call but changed his mind after watching replays closer.
"There was no intent to hit him like that at all," he said afterward. "I'm trying to line him up at the time and then he kind of turns back and makes that play. It just happens so fast and I felt sick to my stomach when I saw that I hit him in the head."
Foligno expressed contrition during his postgame comments and concern for Bellemare's well-being. This is the first time he has been suspended in 13 NHL seasons.
"My track record speaks for itself," Foligno said Saturday night. "I would never maliciously try to hurt somebody. And it made me sick (to see the replay). I'm still sick to my stomach the way he kind of went down, but I mean, that's the way this game goes sometimes. It happens so fast. My main concern is that he's OK and we'll go from there."
