NHL suspends Wild forward Mason Shaw for two games after kneeing penalty, game miscounduct

The NHL suspended Wild center Mason Shaw for two games on Friday, a day after he got a major penalty and game misconduct for kneeing in a loss in San Jose.

The league's department of player safety announced the suspension. The penalty came in the second period of the Sharks' 5-2 victory when Shaw went into the boards and checked San Jose's Evgeny Svechnikov.

Shaw will forfeit two games' pay, $8,108.10 based on his league-minimum salary. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

After Shaw's penalty, the Sharks scored two goals to take a 4-1 lead.

"That's my last intent is to take someone's knee out," Shaw, one of the team's top penalty killers, said after the game. "I feel bad because that put our team in a very bad spot, and ultimately, it was a difference in the game, so I'm disappointed in myself."

The Wild enter the NHL's holiday break in decent position in the standings. After 33 games, they are third in the Central Division and sixth in the Western Conference.

That slight bit of comfort came thanks to a six-game win streak that ended Thursday night. All-Star defenseman Erik Karlsson scored a goal and set up three others for the Sharks. Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson had his personal six-game win streak snapped.

The Wild lost on the second game of a back-to-back for the first time in five such situations this season.

"We pushed, but [the Sharks] played with a lot of energy tonight," Wild coach Dean Evason told reporters. "A lot more than we had."

Players are off until meeting Tuesday morning in St. Paul, flying to Winnipeg and playing the Jets that night.

"[The break will] be good for all of us," Wild forward Jordan Greenway said in a television interview. "There has been a lot of hockey played, a lot of injuries throughout the lineup, a little bit of adversity for us. It'll be good for us to get a little break here, enjoy the holiday and then come back ready."

Wild defenseman Matt Dumba rocked San Jose's Matt Nieto with a clean shoulder-to-shoulder hit in open ice in the second period. Jaycob Megna and another Sharks player went to fight Dumba.

Megna and Dumba received fighting penalties, but neither Sharks player received an instigation penalty.

"That's the one that bothered us," Evason told reporters afterward. "If you make a clean hit, you shouldn't have to be confronted by two people before you fight. That doesn't make any sense. He has to fight for a clean hit. That shouldn't be in our game."

Winger Marcus Foligno was scratched from Thursday's lineup after he warmed up, but came off the ice because of a lower-body injury presumably suffered in Wednesday's 4-1 victory at Anaheim. Defenseman Alex Goligoski stepped in and the Wild went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

Evason told reporters after the game he expects Foligno will be ready to play after the four-day break.

"It was tough obviously, we expended a lot of energy tonight," Evason said. "The best part is we can fatten up over the break."

The Wild sent forward Joseph Cramarossa back to Iowa on Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this notebook.