The Islanders may be without their best player for what will be a do-or-die Game 6 on Wednesday.As the second period of their Stanley Cup semifinals Game 5 lo s against the Lightning came to an end, Mathew Barzal went after Jan Rutta and proceeded to cro s-check him in the face before throwing a punch. It looked like the two Trevor Ariza Jersey had exchanged some words prior to the headshot.WHOA: ' Rutta is cro s-checked to the face by Barzal and stays down on the ice for a few minutes. (@faiello_mari) Rutta was down on the ice for a bit. Barzal was handed a five-minute major for cro s-checking and a game misconduct. The Lightning defenseman was not on the bench to start the third period and coach Jon Cooper did not have an update after the game.Already up 6-0, Tampa Bay started the third period with the man advantage and added another tally with the five-minute power play. The Lightning won by a final score of 8-0."Just disappointed because you know it wasn't going well," said Islanders bench bo s Barry Trotz postgame adding, later on, that he had not heard anything from the league regardingsupplementary discipline.But will he? With a major handed out and it being a headshot the play will now certainly be reviewed by the NHL's Department of Player Safety. So, the questionis: Will Barzal be suspended?The NHL has doled out a few suspensions this postseason:TeamPlayerInfractionLengthWPGCharging4 gamesVGKMatch penalty2 gamesCOLIllegal check to the head8 gamesEDMJosh ArchibaldClipping1 gameFLASam BennettBoarding1 gameLosing Barzal would leave a ma sive offensive hole for Barry Trotz's squad. The Islanders' top points leader from the regular season (45 points in 55 games), Barzal has 12 points in the postseason. After starting the playoffs ice cold 0 goals in the first eight games he has notched six in the last eight (entering Monday) and leads the team with three goals against the Lightning.The one thing that could help Barzal is that he Jusuf Nurkic Jersey has never been suspended in his career. In 289 games, he has only had one misconduct a 10-minute trip to the penalty box on Jan. 28 at the Capitals. He was fined in April for diving/embellishment.New York will now have 48 hours to wonder what happens next. Game 6 is scheduled for Wednesday night at what could be the final swan song for the Na sau Coliseum.
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