Guerin

BOSTON -- Boston Bruins forward Bill Guerin was suspended for three games by the NHL on Monday for hitting the Atlanta Thrashers' Patrik Stefan in the head with his stick last week.

Guerin will forfeit more than $78,000 in salary.

"It was a stick to the head, and the player was injured, so it could have been longer," Guerin said in the press box during Monday's game against Washington, the start of his suspension. "But it was an accident, and my stick wasn't real high."

On Saturday, as Stefan reached for a loose puck in the third period, the blade of Guerin's stick hit Stefan in the face, breaking his jaw. Stefan had surgery Sunday and is expected to miss four weeks.

No penalty was called.

"While Mr. Guerin's action was not intentional, he remains accountable for careless use of his stick, which caused a significant injury to the head of an pponent," Colin Campbell, the NHL's executive vice-president and director of hockey operations, said. "Had this been an intentional act, the punishment would have been much more severe."

Guerin, who had one goal and one assist in the Bruins' first two games, will also miss games against Minnesota on Wednesday and San Jose on Saturday. Eric Manlow was recalled from Boston's AHL affiliate in Providence to replace him on the roster.