Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith drew a one-game suspension Wednesday from the NHL for high-sticking Kings center Jeff Carter in the mouth during Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday. Keith will be banned for Game 4 tonight at Staples Center.

Keith and Carter began jostling each other near the Kings’ net in the second period, with the puck going into the other direction. Carter slashed at Keith as Keith bent down to pick up a lost glove. Keith then responded with a one-handed swing that cut Carter’s mouth and damaged several teeth.

Keith was given a double-minor for high sticking at the 7-minute, 58-second mark.

“This is more than a case of a player being responsible for his stick,” Brendan Shanahan, the NHL’s director of player safety, said in a video explaining his decision to suspend Keith. “It’s not accidental high-sticking. It’s a retaliatory high stick to an opponent that causes an injury.”

Carter left the game to seek medical attention, but returned to the ice later in the period. The Kings went on to win 3-1, narrowing the Blackhawks’ lead in the best-of-7 series to 2-1. Sheldon Brookbank could replace Keith in the Blackhawks’ lineup tonight.

“We were battling in front of the net, up the ice,” Carter said of the play. “You know, I think I took a swing at his glove there, he was trying to pick it up. I was in front of him. Next thing I knew, I was getting a stick in the face. It is what it is. It’s over with. It’s done with. We’ve got a pretty big game (tonight) to worry about. I’m not too worried about the incident.”