Zack Kassian suspended 7 games for kicking incident

The NHL suspended Edmonton Oilers forward Zack Kassian for seven games on Friday after he kicked lightning forward Erik Cernak with his skate.

Kassian waived his right to an in-person hearing.

The ugly incident went down during the first period of Thursday’s Lightning-Oilers game, with Kassian clearly and intentionally kicking Cernak in the chest while the two were tangled up along the sideboards.

It’s the second time this season the 29-year-old has been suspended — sitting two games recently for manhandling Matthew Tkachuk during one of those heated Oilers-Flames clashes last month. This is the third suspension of Kassian’s NHL career.

Kassian has 14 goals and 30 points in 52 contests with Edmonton this season, and just signed a four-year, $12.8-million extension with the team at the end of January.

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