Kraken's Oleksiak suspended 3 games for hit on Capitals' Alexeyev

Seattle Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak has been suspended three games for delivering an illegal check to the head of Washington Capitals blue-liner Alexander Alexeyev, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Saturday.

Oleksiak caught Alexeyev in the head with his shoulder Friday. The Kraken defender was ejected and given a five-minute major for the hit.

Oleksiak has been suspended one other time in his 11-year NHL career. The 6-foot-7, 255-pounder was banned two games for an illegal check to the head in 2016 while he was with the Dallas Stars.

Alexeyev, meanwhile, was ruled out for the remainder of Friday's contest with an upper-body injury. The 23-year-old rookie becomes the third injured Caps defender with Dmitry Orlov and Martin Fehervary already sidelined.

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