Flames’ Connor Zary suspended two games for hit on Canucks’ Elias Pettersson

The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Thursday that Calgary Flames center Connor Zary has been suspended two games as a result of a hit on Vancouver Canucks defenseman Elias Pettersson.

The incident occured in the first period of Wednesday’s contest between the Pacific Division rivals. Zary received a two-minute minor for interference on the play. In the end, the Canucks prevailed with a 4-3 shootout victory.

On the season, Zary has made 49 appearances with the Flames in which he has collected 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points coupled with 14 penalty minutes and a minus-seven rating. Originally chosen 24th overall by Calgary in the 2020 NHL Draft, the 23-year-old Saskatoon, Sask., native has seen 112 total appearances with the Flames in which he has posted 26 goals and 32 assists for 58 points.

For Pettersson, the 21-year-old Swedish-born rearguard is skating in his first season with Vancouver where through 15 outings he has notched two assists alongside two penalty minutes and a minus-two mark. The budding blue-liner has also seen 38 outings with the AHL affiliated Abbotsford Canucks in which he has scored once and added 12 assists for 13 points coupled with 38 penalty minutes and a plus-seven mark. Pettersson was originally chosen by the Canucks in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

On the season, the Flames sit 30-23-11 to hold down the second wildcard seed in the Western Conference with 71 points. Meanwhile, the Canucks also have 71 points but rank behind the Flames given that the club has played one more game. The two sides split their four-game season series with each picking up five of eight points.

The Flames return to the ice Friday to take on the Colorado Avalanche, while the Canucks’ next matchup comes Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks.