Wild's Foligno gets 2-game suspension for kneeing Jets' Lowry

Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno received a two-game suspension from the NHL on Thursday for kneeing Winnipeg's Adam Lowry at the end of a fight.

In the third period of the Wild-Jets game on Tuesday, Foligno pulled Lowry down to the ice after gaining the upper hand in a tussle that drew both players a major penalty.

As the officials were trying to separate them, Foligno raised his leg to press it on Lowry, who was lying on his back.

The NHL's department of player safety, in its explanatory video, said the punishment was necessary because Foligno "clearly and intentionally uses his knee to inflict force on the head of his vulnerable opponent." Foligno, who received a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after the incident, will forfeit $31,000 US in pay for the lost games.

Brandon Duhaime skated with Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway in practice on Thursday in place of Foligno. The Wild host Carolina on Saturday and Detroit on Monday, before Foligno will be eligible to return on Wednesday for a rematch with the Jets.