Downie, Kunitz Suspended

Both Steve Downie (Tampa Bay) and Chris Kunitz (Pittsburgh) will be spending some time in the press box for game four of their first round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup.

According to TSN reports, they have each been suspended one game by the NHL for their actions during game three of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal-round series on Monday.

Downie’s ban comes as the result of a charge on Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy during the first period. He was going to be assessed a minor penalty on the play, but the Penguins scored a goal before the Lightning were able to gain possession of the puck for the whistle to be blown.

Kunitz connected with an elbow to the head of Lightning forward Simon Gagne on a separate play in the first period of what ended up a 3-2 win for the Penguins. They hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series with Game 4 back in Tampa on Wednesday.