New Jersey Devils' Paul Cotter suspended for the rest of the regular season after hit on Islanders' Adam Pelech

There was not much positive to take out of the New Jersey Devils 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders, but the negative impacts of the shutout will hurt the team for the rest of the regular season. Devils' forward Paul Cotter took a dangerous angle on Islanders' defenseman Adam Pelech and hit him directly in the head.

Cotter was clearly upset with himself after the hit, and he went to check on Pelech to make sure he was okay. Pelech wasn't having it, and he had some thoughts about Cotter once he recovered. Warning, there is blood in this image.

It's hard to blame Pelech for his anger at the mistake. This was ultimately a meaningless game for both teams. The Devils are locked into the third seed in the Metropolitan Division and the Islanders have been eliminated from the playoffs. Playing this recklessly sometimes happens when a playoff spot is on the line, but Cotter was doing this in a game that didn't impact the standings at all.

Paul Cotter suspended two games for hit on Adam Pelech

The NHL Department of Player Safety came down pretty hard on Cotter. They assessed a two-game suspension on Cotter, which happened to be the last two games of the Devils' season. He will miss a matchup with the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings before preparing for the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise, giving Cotter a chance to assess the game from afar.

The NHL said that Cotter's suspension was found on multiple grounds:

• The head was the main point of contact.
• The contact was avoidable.
• Cotter takes a poor angle of approach.
• He then lifted his left leg, which causes him to avoid hitting him in the chest or shoulder.

The Devils called up Marc McLaughlin from the Utica Comets to add to the roster in Cotter's absence. We're not sure if he'll get into the lineup, but he adds an extra body in practice for the next week.