Vancouver Canucks defenceman Carson Soucy has been suspended one game for a cross-check on Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.

A skirmish began after the final buzzer sounded in Vancouver鈥檚 4-3 victory in Game 3 Sunday after Soucy shoved McDavid behind the Canucks鈥� net and McDavid responded by hitting Soucy鈥檚 leg with his stick.

Canucks blue liner Nikita Zadorov then cross-checked McDavid from behind, and Soucy cross-checked the Oilers captain in the face as he was falling.

Soucy was handed a minor penalty for the play and the NHL鈥檚 Department of Player Safety handed down a one-game suspension Monday, saying in a video that the defenceman鈥檚 actions were 鈥渘ot a hockey play鈥� and deserved additional discipline.

Zadorov was fined US$5,000 by the NHL, the maximum amount under the collective bargaining agreement.

Vancouver leads the best-of-seven second-round series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Tuesday night in Edmonton.

Soucy told reporters Monday that he wasn鈥檛 trying to injure McDavid on the play.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just an unfortunate incident due to some timing. 鈥� Obviously there wasn鈥檛 intent to get a player up that high,鈥� he said before the suspension was announced.

鈥淓motions run high in those scrums at the end of the game.鈥�

Missing game time would be difficult, the 29-year-old defenceman said.

鈥淚t would suck, obviously, at this time, in a tight series like this, in a physical series,鈥� Soucy said. 鈥淚 know guys will step up if that is the case. But it sucks having to watch your team.鈥�

McDavid said Monday he was 鈥渇eeling great鈥� and didn鈥檛 want to talk too much about the incident, other than calling it 鈥減art of a heated series.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough game. They鈥檝e got big d-men. They make it hard on you. They play physical, they play a physical brand of hockey and it鈥檚 fun to be a part of,鈥� said the Oilers captain.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun series to be a part of. Obviously, two Canadian teams going at it, there鈥檚 a lot of passion.鈥�

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