Justice was relative for the Islanders after Adam Pelech was on the wrong end of Brendan Gallagher’s illegal elbow to the head Thursday night.
NHL Player Safety announced Friday following a phone hearing that Gallagher will receive a five-game suspension for the hit, which saw him accrue a five-minute major and ejection from the eventual 4-3 Canadiens win over the Islanders.
That was the maximum penalty that could have been levied outside of an in-person hearing.
The veteran forward left his feet to deliver the open-ice hit on Pelech and appeared to stick his elbow out in order to catch the defenseman’s head.
Pelech, who has suffered a head injury previously, crumbled to the ground.
After a few minutes, he exited the Bell Centre ice with the help of a trainer.
“I didn’t see it. Obviously, it was pretty bad if they gave him a five,” Bo Horvat said after the game. “Hopefully Pelly’s OK. I haven’t heard how he’s doing or anything like that. We need him in the lineup, so hopefully he’ll be back next game.”
Pelech has already missed 23 games this season, most of them with a presumed wrist injury.
Thursday was his ninth game back in the lineup.
Last season, he was out for 21 games with a presumed concussion after being hit into the end boards by Robert Bortuzzo.
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis offered a tepid defense of Gallagher after the game.
“I’m sure the league will look at [the hit]. But I understand Gally,” St. Louis said in French, per the Journal de Montreal. “From where he was on the ice, he wanted to slow down the opponent. It’s happening quickly.”
Because the Islanders did not practice Friday, there was no update on Pelech’s condition.
If he is going to miss more time, though, it would be a blow to a defense corps that has already dealt with a series of injuries this season, with Scott Mayfield, Sebastian Aho, Ryan Pulock and Robert Bortuzzo all missing time at points this year in addition to Pelech.
Pulock and Bortuzzo are still on long-term injured reserve and injured reserve, respectively, with lower-body injuries. Neither has begun to skate.
Mike Reilly, who was a healthy scratch Thursday, would presumably rejoin the lineup if Pelech is out Saturday against the Panthers.
Noah Dobson reached 45 assists Thursday night, becoming the first Islander since Bryan Trottier in 1983-84 to do so in the team’s first 48 games and the fastest defenseman in team history to do so, per team statistician Eric Hornick.
