Blues D Bortuzzo draws 4-game suspension

St. Louis Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo was suspended four games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety on Sunday for cross-checking Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson.

Arvidsson was injured on the play and reportedly could miss 4-6 weeks. He stood near the Blues net when Bortuzzo hit him from behind, paused and cross-checked him again in the upper back as he tried to get up.

"This was not a hockey play," the league said in a video announcing the suspension.

The suspension will cost Bortuzzo more than $67,000 in lost salary. The 30-year-old has one assist in 11 games this season and has appeared in 346 games over the course of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis.

--Field Level Media