Lightning Defenseman Earns Player Safety Hearing for Hit vs. Red Wings

Per a Tweet from the NHL's Department of Player Safety, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg will face a hearing (time and date as of yet to be determined) for his hit on Red Wings forward J.T. Compher during the second period of Saturday night's 2–0 Detroit win at Little Caesars Arena.

Lilleberg delivered a high and late check to Compher as he entered the offensive zone and dished the puck wide, for which Lilleberg earned a two-minute interference minor.  Based on both the timing of the hit and the upward trajectory with which the Tampa d-man made contact, it makes sense that the play would command the attention of the NHL's Department of Player of Safety.  I would not expect a massive suspension, but one to two games for Lilleberg would seem roughly in line with precedent for a check like the one he delivered to Compher.  Fortunately for the Red Wings, Compher seemed none too worse for the wear and didn't miss any time, which will presumably lighten the discipline the league metes out.

On the other hand, the play that most disturbed Detroit fans last night wasn't Lilleberg's check; it was the play that Nikita Kucherov made on Michael Rasmussen's empty net goal.

Rasmussen was in alone on the empty net and in the process of tucking home the game-clinching goal, when Kucherov cut him out at the ankles with a sharp slash. Kucherov did not seem to be making any attempt to play the puck or actually deter Rasmussen from scoring.  Instead, it looked more like a frustration play, hard to see the slash as anything but, at best, dangerous if not reckless or predatory.

However, as of this writing, it appears there will be no supplemental discipline heading Kucherov's way, with DPOS having provided no indication that they are examining the play in closer detail.

Here again, the good news is that Rasmussen—though certainly laboring as he headed down the tunnel following the play—does not appear to have suffered a major injury.  After the game, coach Todd McLellan said he hadn't had a chance to get a full update as Rasmussen was presently being tended to by the team's training staff, but did say, "I think things are okay from what I've heard."

Related: Game Notes: Red Wings Stare Down Lightning for Shutout Win

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