Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson was given a two-game suspension Tuesday by the NHL Department of Player Safety for his slash against the New York Islanders' Frans Nielsen in Saturday's game. Johnson slashed Nielsen on the hand in the third period and was given a minor penalty.
Nielsen sustained a broken hand that is expected to take four weeks to heal. He will miss four or five games because the NHL has shut down for two weeks for the Olympics.
Johnson will forfeit $38,461.54 in salary and will miss the Avalanche's games against Los Angeles on Feb. 26 and Phoenix on Feb. 28.
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Pretty cool news for Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who has been named an alternate captain for Sweden in the Olympics, but Matt Duchene could be a healthy scratch for Canada in its opening game Thursday against Norway.
Duchene is taking the high road.
"Hopefully I get to play, I get in the lineup, even if it's the 13th (forward) spot," Duchene told reporters. "You can't let it limit you if that's where you end up. You've just got to keep working hard, you've got to be a good teammate to your guys. You can't whine or complain, you've just got to work hard.
"I'm the youngest guy on the team. I'm probably the least experienced in terms of some of the big international play. I'm going to do whatever I can to help the team, whether it's on the ice or in the stands."
Landeskog, meanwhile, has skated in practice on Sweden's top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Alexander Steen in preparation for Wednesday's game against the Czech Republic.
Landeskog told the Swedish newspaper Expressen that he was surprised to be wearing an "A" as a replacement for Henrik Sedin, who pulled out of the Games because of a rib injury.
"It was a bit unexpected, but on the other hand I am grateful for the confidence and of course it's a great honor," Landeskog said.
Zetterberg is team captain and Niklas Kronwall is the other alternate captain.
No word yet on whether Semyon Varlamov will start in goal Thursday when Russia plays Slovenia, or how Paul Stastny fits in for the United States when the Americans play Slovakia on Thursday. He could wind up on the fourth line.