Gallagher suspended 5 games for hit on Pelech

Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher has been suspended five games for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

The incident occurred 11:52 into the third period of Thursday's game. Gallagher received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Brendan Gallagher receives a five-minute major and game misconduct for an illegal check to the head on Adam Pelech. pic.twitter.com/k3NKyZqanh

- TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 26, 2024

The Islanders trailed 3-1 at the time of the penalty, but they scored twice with the five-minute power play to even the game. However, Sean Monahan notched the winner shortly after the penalty expired to seal the victory for Montreal.

Pelech was forced to leave the outing and didn't return. Head coach Patrick Roy didn't provide a postgame update. Pelech missed 21 games last season with a concussion and has already missed 23 contests this campaign with wrist and lower-body injuries.

Before the injuries struck, Pelech was regarded as one of the game's premier shutdown defensemen and would've been strongly considered for Canada's 2022 Olympic roster had NHLers participated. The 29-year-old has registered four points in 25 games this season while averaging 19:33 per contest - the fourth-most among Islanders defensemen.

Gallagher, 31, is known for being a pest, but this is the first suspension of his 12-year NHL career. The two-time 30-goal scorer has been limited to eight goals and eight assists in 48 games this season.

It also marks the third-longest suspension of the season behind Shane Pinto's 41-game gambling ban and David Perron's six-game ban for cross-checking. The longest suspension of 2022-23 was only three games.

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