Erik Karlsson suspended two games

Elite Swedish defenseman Erik Karlsson has picked up the first suspension of his NHL career.

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced today Karlsson has been suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head on Los Angeles Kings’ forward Austin Wagner.

The incident occured in the second period of Saturday’s game between the Sharks and Kings when Karlsson lowered his shoulder and hit Wagner up high. Wagner was dazed on the play, struggled to make it back to bench and was forced to leave the game. The sequence started with a dangerous pass from Matt Luff, who found Wagner in the middle with his head down.

Here’s a look at the play:

The Kings won the game 3-2 thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk’s OT winner. Karlsson had two assists on the afternoon, extending his season-best point streak to eight games in the process.

Karlsson has been finding his game with the Sharks recently after getting off to a slow start with his new club. The 28-year-old has two goals and 26 points in 37 games this season after spending the first nine years of his career with the Ottawa Senators.