NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upheld Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand's six-game suspension for roughing and high-sticking Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, the league announced Friday.

The incident occurred during a testy matchup between the Eastern Conference foes on Feb. 8. Marchand punched Jarry in the head after the netminder denied the Bruins winger on a scoring chance in the dying seconds of the final frame. A scrum broke out soon afterward, and Marchand hit Jarry's mask with his stick.

Referees assessed Marchand a minor penalty for roughing and a match penalty on the play.

The Department of Player Safety announced its decision to suspend the 33-year-old on Feb. 9. Marchand filed an appeal a couple of days later, arguing that his actions were stupid but weren't "suspension-worthy."

His hearing was held on Feb. 16. In his ruling, Bettman said he found Marchand's remorse to be sincere but added that the veteran's suspension history is "unenviable." The league has suspended Marchand eight times in his career and twice this season. He received a three-game ban for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in November.

Marchand testified that Jarry provoked him by saying, "How about that f------ save?" but admitted he overreacted.

Marchand leads all Bruins with 49 points in 39 games this campaign. He's already sat out four games of his suspension and is eligible to return Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.

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