Montreal Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher receives five-game suspension for elbowing Adam Pelech

Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher has received a five-game suspension after elbowing New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech in the head on Thursday.

#GoHabsGo Brendan Gallagher was suspended 5 games by @NHLPlayerSafety for an illegal check to the head of #isles Adam Pelech.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 26, 2024

The incident happened during the third period, when Gallagher caught Pelech with an elbow to the blueliner’s head.

Gallagher will miss the final game before the all-star break on Saturday night against Pittsburgh, and won’t be able to return until Feb. 15 when the Canadiens take on the New York Rangers.

Gallagher was immediately assessed a match penalty. The Islanders ended up scoring twice on the power play, but a late goal from Sean Monahan gave the Canadiens a 4-3 win over Patrick Roy’s new team.

Gallagher had never been suspended despite always playing on the edge throughout his 12-year NHL career. He was fined $2,500 in November 2021, when he sucker punched New York Rangers’ forward Barclay Goodrow, but has not faced any other supplemental discipline.

In 48 games this season, Gallagher has scored eight goals and eight assists. In 723 career games, all with Montreal, he has registered 210 goals and 201 assists, including 31 points in 71 playoff games.

The hit is concerning for Pelech, given that the Islanders’ defenseman was out for over a month, missing 20 games with an upper-body injury. In 25 games thus far, the 29-year-old has just four assists to his name. In 467 games, Pelech has notched 25 goals and 103 assists.

The Habs (20-21-7) are set to visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. They are currently sixth in the Atlantic Division, 10 points back of the Tampa Bay Lightning for third, and eight points behind the Detroit Red Wings, who hold the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Islanders (20-17-11) are fourth in the Metropolitan Division, five points back of the third-place Philadelphia Flyers. With a looming matchup with the Florida Panthers on Thursday, they are four points behind the Wings.