As the Los Angeles Kings make a push for one of the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference, the last thing they need is for one of their key players to miss a few games. But the NHL may have no choice but to sit Tyler Toffoli down.
In the third period of Saturday’s game against Vancouver, the Kings forward hit Alex Burrows from behind into the boards. Burrows, who did not have the puck at the time, left the game for a brief period, but returned.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the league will review the incident for possible supplemental discipline.
“The good news for the Kings player is Burrows returned to the game, which usually calms down any discussion about a suspension,” Friedman said. “The NHL will review this hit, but because it’s a busy day they won’t decide if there’s any kind of hearing until after tonight’s games are over.”
The 22-year-old Toffoli is the third-highest scoring player on the Kings with 20 goals and 41 points in 65 games. Los Angeles still has 11 games left on its schedule, but trails the Winnipeg Jets for the last playoff spot by four points, with one game in hand.
