Senators' Chabot to miss 4-6 weeks with broken hand, head coach says

The Ottawa Senators placed star defenceman Thomas Chabot on long-term injured reserve early Saturday morning.

Chabot is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks with a fractured hand, head coach D.J. Smith announced Friday. Chabot was injured blocking a shot early in the second period of Thursday's 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders.

Chabot, 26, has notched three assists while averaging 24:19 of ice time in seven games this season.

He has 52 goals and 232 points in 388 regular-season games since being drafted 18th overall by the Senators in 2015.

In a corresponding move on Saturday, Ottawa recalled blue liners Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo from the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League.

The NHL suspended Buffalo Sabres defenceman Connor Clifton two games without pay for what it determined was an illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Nico Hischier on Friday night.

Clifton will lose nearly $35,000 US in salary, and that money will go to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund, the league's department of player safety announced.

In a video explaining the reasoning behind the suspension, the NHL said Clifton made Hischier's head the primary target and the hit was avoidable. It was the first such offence in Clifton's 240-game NHL career, the league said.

Clifton was ejected for the hit to the Devils captain, which happened at the 16-minute mark of the first period of Sabres' 5-4 loss. Hischier played in the second period but did not return for the third.

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was placed on long-term injured reserve.

Lucic has missed the Bruins' last two games due to a lower-body injury he sustained after taking a puck to the ankle during Boston's 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles