SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Erik Karlsson will be watching the Sharks next two games from the press box.
The Sharks defenseman received a two-game suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety Sunday for delivering an illegal hit to the head of Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wanger in Saturday's matinee at SAP Center.
Karlsson received a hearing with the department Sunday morning before the suspension was announced.
The two-time Norris Trophy winner delivered the questionable hit at 2:41 of the second period after Wagner received a pass coming out of his own zone. Wagner eventually left the game with an apparent concussion and did not return.
The NHL Department of Player Safety determined the hit to be illegal because Karlsson made the head the main point of contact. The department also determined that contact with Wagner's head was avoidable as Karlsson could have taken a different angle to deliver the hit through the Kings forward's core.
The suspension is the first of Karlsson's nine-year NHL career. His only past offense is a $2,500 received for slashing Sean Bergenheim of the Florida Panthers on March 4, 2012.
Karlsson pleaded his innocence after the Sharks 3-2 overtime loss to the Kings on Saturday.
"It's one of those plays," Karlsson said. "I'm closing gap and he skates into me. I don't even really lean into him. I'm in his lane and it's a shoulder-to-shoulder hit. Unfortunately, he went down hard and he didn't come back. I hope he's OK. At the end of the day, it's a hockey play."
Sharks captain Joe Pavelski called it a "good hit." Head coach Pete DeBoer agreed.
"It looked really clean," the Sharks coach said. "Kid coming across the middle with his head down a little bit. I thought he made contact with the shoulder, didn't leave his feet."
Karlsson's ineligibility for Sunday's tilt with the Arizona Coyotes means that either Tim Heed or Joakim Ryan will draw into the Sharks lineup. Heed has only played in two games this season while Ryan hasn't suited up since Radim Simek made his NHL debut on Dec. 2, taking his spot on Brent Burns' pairing.
Karlsson is currently riding an eight-game point streak, his longest with the Sharks. He'll be eligible to rejoin the Sharks lineup when they take on the Edmonton Oilers in Alberta on Dec. 29.
