The NHL has suspended Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic for one game for delivering a blow to the head of Montreal forward Maxim Lapierre in the third period of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Blog Check out the latest updates and analysis from the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs as our NHL crew weighs in:

• 2009 Playoffs blog

At the 15:28 mark of the third, Lucic delivered a cross-check to the head of Lapierre.

"While it is unclear whether Lucic's glove or stick makes contact with Lapierre, what is clear is that he delivered a reckless and forceful blow to the head of his opponent," said Colin Campbell, NHL senior executive vice president of hockey operations, in a statement Sunday evening.

Lucic's hit set off another brawl in what has become a feisty and fight-filled series between the Original Six rivals.

Lucic received a match penalty and will sit out Game 3 on Monday night when Montreal hosts Boston.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound forward is the second player to be suspended in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. Philadelphia Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo was suspended one game for a shot to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Maxime Talbot following a faceoff late in Game 1 of their series.

Lucic scored 17 goals to pair with 43 points and 136 penalty minutes during the regular season.

Boston leads Montreal 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.