Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters will not be behind the bench Wednesday night against the Buffalo Sabres as the club continues an investigation over racism and physical abuse allegations.

"Our review into the allegations from last evening continues. This is a very serious matter and we want to be thorough in our review," general manager Brad Treliving said in statement. "Bill Peters will not be behind the bench for the Flames game tomorrow night in Buffalo. Associate coach Geoff Ward will handle head coaching duties. We will have no further comment until our review is complete."

Former NHL defenseman Akim Aliu tweeted Monday night that Peters directed the N-word toward him several times 10 years ago when the latter coached him with the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate. Two former teammates corroborated Aliu's accusation.

On Tuesday, former Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan accused Peters of physically abusing him when the 54-year-old was the bench boss in Carolina.

Peters guided the Flames to a division title last season, but the team has lost seven of its last eight games and holds a record of 11-12-4.

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Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak has been suspended two games for elbowing Buffalo Sabres blue-liner Rasmus Dahlin during Monday's contest, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday.

Dahlin did not play another shift after the incident and Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger confirmed postgame the 19-year-old suffered a concussion on the play. Cernak was not penalized for the hit.

Cernak had never been suspended or fined in his two-year career prior to this incident.

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Former Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan said Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters physically abused him when the latter served as bench boss for Carolina.

Jordan tweeted Tuesday that Peters kicked him and punched another player in the head on the bench. He added that the coach then pretended it didn't happen.

"Couldn't believe my eyes what can happen in the best league," Jordan said. "Happy that I don't have to go (through) that stuff on (a) daily (basis) anymore."

"He kicked me pretty hard in the back during a game," Jordan told TSN's Frank Seravalli. "Even the trainers and the other guys saw it."

Jordan said there were multiple altercations between Peters and Hurricanes players.

The incident involving Peters punching another player in the head was confirmed by multiple sources to Seravalli. The player in question wishes to remain anonymous for the time being, Seravalli adds.

Former NHL player Akim Aliu tweeted Monday that Peters repeatedly used a racial slur toward him during their time with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Aliu went into further detail Tuesday, and two former teammates corroborated his account.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving said Tuesday that there is an ongoing investigation into Peters' possible usage of the racial slur.

The 54-year-old bench boss coached the Hurricanes from 2014 to 2018. He's been Calgary's head coach for the last two seasons.

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Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving said Tuesday that there is an ongoing investigation into the alleged use of a racial slur by head coach Bill Peters.

Former NHLer Akim Aliu tweeted Monday that Peters directed the N-word toward him 10 years ago while with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Two of Aliu's former teammates who were in the room, Simon Pepin and Peter MacArthur, corroborated his account on Tuesday.

"Throughout the evening last night and into this morning, we were starting an investigation into the incident," Treliving told reporters.

He added: "The purpose of me coming in today is we have not completed that. We are trying to be as transparent as possible and to update you."

Treliving also made it clear that the organization is handling the situation with the utmost care.

"Allegations of this nature we take very, very seriously," Treliving said. "This is a subject matter that has no place in our organization and, so, the magnitude and the serious nature that we take to these allegations is very high."

The GM added that Peters remains the head coach and a decision regarding his future has not yet been made.

"Jeff Ward is running our practice today," he said. "Bill will remain at the hotel. Bill has not been relieved of his duties."

"We hope to have this completed quickly, but it's got to be thorough," he added. "It's got to be thorough and it's got to be done correctly."

Peters was hired by the Flames ahead of the 2018-19 season.

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Detroit Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha will be sidelined for a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury, the team announced Tuesday.

Mantha suffered the injury during the first period of Sunday's contest against the New Jersey Devils and did not return to the game.

More to come.

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Former NHLer Akim Aliu accused Calgary Flames head coach Bill Peters of using racial slurs toward him 10 years ago while with the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate.

Aliu, who was born in Nigeria, tweeted Monday that Peters directed the N-word toward him in the dressing room several times over his choice of music.

In a second tweet, Aliu said he "rebelled against" Peters due to the comments. He added that in response, the coach wrote a letter to Blackhawks president John McDonough and general manager Stan Bowman to have Aliu sent down to the ECHL despite a strong start to the season.

Flames general manager Brad Treliving said the team is aware of the accusations but won't comment until talking to Peters, according to Postmedia's Wes Gilbertson. Peters was not made available to the media following Calgary's loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.

Aliu, a second-round pick of the Blackhawks in 2007, logged seven games in his NHL career - all with the Flames from 2011-13, well before Peters joined the organization.

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