Avs forward Stienburg suspended for illegal hit on Cernak

This just in, NHL Player Safety has suspended Colorado Avalanche forward Matthew Stienburg for an illegal hit on Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak.

From NHL Player Safety:

And here's the hit in question:

Stienburg received a 5 minute major and a game ejection for the hit for leaving his feet and for boarding. Cernak left the game and did not return to action.

"That was a tough little sequence there for us," head coach Jon Cooper said after the game. "Those are tough hits but, hopefully, he's good to go in a couple of days."

Lightning captain Victor Hedman also denounced the hit.

"You never want to see a teammate go down, a brother go down," he said. "One of those plays we don't want in our game."