Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves suspended two games

Vegas Golden Knights forward Ryan Reaves has been suspended for two games for attempting to injure Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan Graves.

The incident happened in game one when Reaves pulled Graves down to the ice.

In a statement, the league said both players and officials acknowledged “a chunk of Graves’ hair was pulled out by Reaves” in the scrum. The league noted that Reaves’ actions were “retaliation” for an earlier hit Graves laid on Mattias Janmark.

“Reaves and the Golden Knights acknowledged that, angered by the earlier hit, he takes this opportunity to send a message to Graves as payback,” the league said in the video. “And while some of the actions taken by Reaves could be sufficiently penalized by the on-ice officials, the totality of Reaves’ actions combined with the game situation and the retribution involved in the play necessitates supplemental discipline.”

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.