THE NHL has punished Connor McDavid after a vicious play by the Edmonton Oilers superstar.

The three-time NHL MVP didn’t follow the rules during the Oilers’ 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend.

Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid cross-checked Vancouver Canucks’ Conor Hardland in the head during a game between the two teams on Saturday, January 8

McDavid was handed the second suspension of his 10-year NHL career

On Monday, the NHL’s Department of Player of Safety announced that McDavid had been suspended three games for a cross-check to Vancouver’s Conor Gardland in the head.

During a sequence late between the Oilers and Canucks, the seven-time NHL All-Star was irate after Gardlen held him for numerous seconds.

Then, McDavid, after getting to his feet, hit Garland in the side of his head with the shaft of his stick and was taken out of the game with a match penalty for intent to injure.

Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers also cross-checked Edmonton’s Evan Bouchard in the face during the aftermath of the McDavid-Gardland sequence.

Myers was also handed a matching three-game suspension for his cross-check.

McDavid will not be able to play in games Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, Thursday in a rematch with the Canucks, and Saturday when the Oilers take on the Buffalo Sabres.

The 28-year-old will be eligible to return next Monday against the Seattle Kraken.

“There was a lot of frustration. [McDavid] plays through a lot,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters on Monday after the suspension was revealed.

“Ironically, he doesn’t draw very many penalties.

“Our team doesn’t draw that many penalties for that matter, which is kind of ironic because we usually have the puck and the other team’s defending more.”

The league considered McDavid’s past disciplinary history in the suspension decision.

He was suspended once before, a two-game ban in 2019 after an illegal check to the head against New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy.

Still, McDavid is not known for spending much time in the penalty box, as he earned 15 penalty minutes on Saturday game after entering the night with just 14 on the season.

Instead, the Oilers captain is known for being arguably the best player in the world.

McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last season for helping Edmonton play in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Florida Panthers.

He has 65 points (20 goals, 45 assists) in 43 games this season.