The latest NHL playoff suspension has come down, and this time it's Joe Thornton on the receiving end.
The 39-year-old Sharks center has been handed a one-game ban from the league's Department of Player Safety as a result of a hit thrown on Sunday. During Game 3 of the Sharks' opening round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Thornton doled out an ugly hit to the head of Vegas forward Tomas Nosek.
As Thornton skated by Nosek behind the Sharks' goal line, the veteran center launched into Nosek and caught him up high with a shoulder to the head.
Thornton was lucky to avoid a major penalty on the ice, earning only a minor instead. But the league came down with supplemental discipline on Monday, saying the head was the main point of contact. As a result, Thornton will miss Game 4 on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
His absence will come as a blow for San Jose as they trail Vegas 2-1 in their first round series. Thornton is a key veteran piece for the Sharks and finished the regular season with 14 goals and 51 points. He has a goal and two assists in three playoff games this year.
Thornton is the third player to be suspended already this postseason, joining Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov and Toronto's Nazem Kadri.
