- Brendan Gallagher was given a game misconduct for the jarring elbow
- Gallagher has no history of suspensions, but will likely get his first here
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher was ejected from a game against the New York Islanders on Thursday night after throwing a jarring elbow to the head of defenseman Adam Pelech.
Midway through the third period, Gallagher skated from near the New York bench, across center ice, and delivered the brutal shot to Pelech’s head, sending him spiraling toward the ice and grabbing his face.
The puck was also long gone, making the combination of roughing and obstruction a no-brainer for the officials.
Gallagher was given a match penalty and is all but guaranteed to receive a suspension from the NHL in the coming days.
Pelech remained on the ice for a few minutes, but appears to have avoided a serious injury.
Gallagher’s elbow struck Pelech’s face, leading to match misconduct and ejection
To make matters worse for Gallagher, he left his feet to complete the check, which is illegal
The elbow came with Montreal up 3-1 in the game, and lit a fire under the Islanders, who tied the game just minutes later.
Luckily for the Canadiens, Sean Monahan scored the winning goal with just over two minutes left in the game.
Unlike the aftermath of many other dirty hockey hits, the game did not descend into chaos as Gallagher’s penalty was the last of the game.
The Islanders’ Scott Mayfield and Gallagher skate after the puck during the second period
Gallagher’s likely first suspension from the NHL could be a long time coming. If he was a repeat offender, his time off the ice would be much worse.
The 4-3 victory in Montreal overshadowed Patrick Roy’s return to an NHL bench, as well as his homecoming in Montreal, where he played from 1984-95.
The teams will play again this season, on April 11, in New York.
There’s no chance that Gallagher’s likely suspension will last that long as it would be more than 30 games, so he’ll get a chance to be on the ice at UBS Arena.