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New York Islanders forward Maxim Tsyplakov has been suspended for three games without pay for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers forward Ryan Poehling.

The NHL Department of Player Safety was kept busy by the recent meeting between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. In the first period, Flyers forward Ryan Poheling took a huge hit from Islanders forward Maxin Tsyplakov that resulted in a hearing for Tsyplakov.

Islanders rookie Maxim Tsyplakov had a target on his back after delivering a hard shoulder check on Poehling, who left the game.

On Friday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced it has suspended New York Islanders forward Max Tsyplakov for three games for his illegal check to the head of Flyers forward Ryan Poehling on Thursday night. The third game of his suspension is a rematch between the Flyers and Islanders at UBS Arena.

Sean Couturier, Garnet Hathaway and Morgan Frost scored in the second period Thursday night for the Philadelphia Flyers, who beat the New York Islanders 5-3 in Elmont, N.Y.

Following a questionable body check in a recent game, a New York Islanders forward is facing a mutl-game suspension. The NHL's Department of Player Safety asses

- The Flyers stand in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division with 44 points, three points ahead of the Islanders (41 points), though New York has two games in-hand. - The Flyers picked up five of a possible six points in their last three games (2-0-1) after a six-game winless skid (0-5-1).

John Tortorella's Philadelphia Flyers (19-20-6) are in Elmont on Thursday evening to take on Patrick Roy's New York Islanders (17-19-7).

This is what it looks like when the season slips away in January. A disastrous second period, a total squandering of momentum, a team that played most of the night as though nobody was on the same page and a home crowd that sounded more disappointed than upset.

The NHL Department of Player Safety has issued New York Islanders winger Maxim Tsyplakov a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Philadelphia Flyers winger Ryan Poehling on Tuesday night.