The penalty is handed down by the league management after Andersson’s violent elbow tackle on Columbus’ Finnish forward Patrik Laine in the final seconds of Calgary’s loss against Laine’s Columbus.
Laine was injured and was unable to participate in Columbus’ game against Minnesota on Saturday.
During the match, Andersson was sent off for five minutes for an elbow tackle and ten minutes for misconduct. The now announced four-game suspension means that Andersson will also lose $95,000 in salary, around one million Swedish kronor. The money will go to a fund to help players.
The NHL justifies the extra penalty by saying that the tackle was violent and that it was made in a situation when the game was already lost for Calgary.