( CNN ) -- The NHL on Saturday suspended Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres for 25 games for launching himself into an opponent during a playoff game earlier this week . That means Torres -- who already sat out the fourth game of the Coyotes best-of-seven first round series with the Chicago Blackhawks -- will be out for the next 24 games . The suspension will be over the current postseason and , if there are any games left to be served , will carry over into the 2012-2013 regular season , according to the NHL . Phoenix `` accepts the NHL 's decision , '' Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney said in a statement . About halfway through the first period of last Tuesday 's game in Chicago , Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa gave up the puck near center ice . Moments later , Torres 's skates left the ice and he slammed his shoulder and elbow into Hossa 's head , knocking him down hard . The Coyotes ended up winning that game 3-2 in overtime . Up 3-1 overall in the series , they could clinch the series with a win Saturday night in Phoenix . Hossa , who was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital that night for evaluation , according to a statement from the Blackhawks , remains sidelined indefinitely . The 33-year-old Slovakian tallied 29 goals and 48 assists over the regular season . Brendan Shanahan , the NHL 's senior vice president of player safety and hockey operations , explained in a statement that Torres violated three rules with the hit -- interference , charging and an illegal check to the head . The abnormally long suspension for Torres was also due , in part , is because he is defined by the league as a `` repeat offender '' with a history `` mainly of acts very similar to this one -- including two this season , '' Shanahan said . Maloney described the ruling as `` very severe '' for Torres and the Coyotes . At the same time , he thanked NHL officials for their `` thorough review '' of the incident and acknowledged the seriousness of the violations . `` Raffi plays a hard , physical game , yet this contact crossed the line on what is acceptable in our game today , '' the general manager said .
Chicago 's Raffi Torres injured Chicago 's Marian Hossa during a playoff game earlier this week . Torres went airborned to hit a defenseless Hossa on his head . The Maloney suspended Torres for 3 games , saying the hit violated 25 league rules .