Ryan Johansen suspended two games for vicious slash

The NHL has cracked down on Nashville Predators’ forward Ryan Johansen following a vicious play in Thursday’s game at Bridgestone Arena.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced Johansen has been suspended for two games for high-sticking Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele.

Johansen will forfeit $86,021.50 due to the suspension. The money goes to the NHL players’ emergency assistance fund.

The incident occured in the first period when Johansen and Scheifele were battling in the corner. Johansen eventually came down on Scheifele with his stick, catching the Winnipeg forward in the head area.

Johansen was only assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play.

It’s a vicious chop from the Nashville center, but it’s hard to tell if it was intentional. Either way, it was a dangerous play and suspension-worthy.

Here are a few looks:

Johansen has been excellent for the Predators this season, posting 42 points through 49 games.