Svitov, Bernatsky suspended

Two incidents from Thursday’s games attracted the attention of the KHL Sporting and Disciplinary Committee.

Early in the third period of the SKA Saint Petersburg vs. Salavat Yulaev game, Ufa forward Alexander Svitov launched an illegal knee-to-knee hit on SKA forward Maxim Afinogenov, injuring the Petersburg player in the process. The Committee upholds the referee’s decision to punish the foul with a major plus game misconduct penalty (5+20 minutes).

The regulations state that a player guilty of this offense is liable to receive an additional suspension of up to five games, and after scrutinizing the incident the Committee has handed Svitov a five-game ban.

In the 58th minute of the game in Magnitogorsk between Metallurg and Lev Praha, home defenseman Sergei Bernatsky received a minor plus misconduct penalty (2+10 minutes) for checking to the head and neck area. After reviewing video footage of the incident, the Committee found Bernatsky guilty of the more serious offense of causing injury with an attack to the head or neck area and has upgraded the punishment to a major plus game misconduct penalty (5+20 minutes).

This offense can also incur an additional ban, and as a result of the Committee’s review Bernatsky has been suspended for one game.