N.H.L. Suspends Rangers" Hagelin Three Games for Elbowing Alfredsson Carl Hagelin was late for the Rangers" practice Sunday afternoon, but he had an excuse. Hagelin, a rookie wing, spent about 15 minutes in a phone hearing with Brendan Shanahan, the N.H.L."s vice president for hockey operations and player safety. Seven hours after the hearing, Hagelin was suspended for three games by the N.H.L. for elbowing Daniel Alfredsson in the head during the second period of the Ottawa Senators" 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Hagelin received a five-minute penalty for elbowing; his suspension will begin with Game 3 of the series Monday in Ottawa. In his statement on the suspension, Shanahan noted that Hagelin "finishes his check with his arms high, recklessly hitting Alfredsson high with his elbow." Alfredsson did not return to Game 2. Ottawa Coach Paul MacLean said Alfredsson, the team captain, was feeling better and would be re-evaluated before his status for Game 3 could be determined. Hagelin seemed a bit shaken about injuring Alfredsson. Hagelin, 23, is a native of Sweden, where Alfredsson, 39 and in his 16th N.H.L. season, is idolized. "I tried to finish my check," he said after practice and before the suspension was announced. He chipped it out and kind of went back a bit. My elbow came up. His stick kind of came in front of my face. My head moved back a bit, and my elbow came back and hit him in the head. Hagelin said he hoped Alfredsson could play. "I never want to hurt anyone on the ice," he said. "That's not the type of player I am," noting that he had never had a major penalty before. He said Alfredsson, who won the Olympics and a world championship with Sweden, had been one of his favorite players. "Obviously, I had no intention of being dirty with him," Hagelin said. I sent him a text yesterday saying I'm sorry and I'm pretty regretful for what happened. Hagelin's hit on Alfredsson was not the most violent moment in a brutally physical, scrum-filled game. Two minutes 15 seconds into the game, Matt Carkner of the Senators pounded Rangers center Brian Boyle with his fists, retribution for Boyle's roughing up Erik Karlsson in Game 1. Boyle did not fight back, or was unable to. When the Rangers" Brandon Dubinsky stepped in to peel Carkner off Boyle, Dubinsky was given a game misconduct. Carkner was ejected, too. But while Carkner, a healthy scratch in Game 1, would probably not have played five minutes, Dubinsky takes a regular shift as a wing. Carkner drew a one-game suspension after a hearing with Shanahan. He cited Carkner for "continuing to inflict punishment upon an opponent who was an unwilling combatant." Dubinsky was still frustrated Sunday but vowed to be ready for Game 3. He was asked if he would have joined the one-sided Carkner-Boyle fight if he had known he would be ejected. "I wouldn't have done it," he said. I shouldn't say I wouldn't have done it. I would have done it, but differently. Dubinsky said he did not know why he received a game misconduct - "I'm not the ref." "Sorry," he said. Look, I don't want to talk about it. The Rangers" players and coaches did not complain about the Senators" strategy of increased hitting and fighting. The Rangers led the league in fighting majors during the regular season, with 65 in 82 games, and take pride in team toughness. "I didn't think it was too bad," the Rangers" Ryan Callahan said. Both teams were hitting. That's playoff hockey. It's hockey that we've played all year. We don't have a problem playing that way. As the playoffs go on, that's what you're going to see. It doesn't make a difference to us. Coach John Tortorella said, "All the stuff that goes on as far as trying to change momentum, it's going to go on throughout the series." It sounded like a promise. Jeff Z. Klein contributed reporting from Greenburgh, N.Y.