Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl will have a hearing on Wednesday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.
Draisaitl was called for spearing San Jose Sharks centre Chris Tierney in the groin area late in the second period of Tuesday’s lopsided Game 4 loss. (Watch the play at the top of this post.)
The Oilers centreman was tossed from the game in addition to earning himself a five-minute major. Tierney was in visible pain, going straight to the dressing room following the incident. He would return.
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It’s clear that Draisaitl and the Oilers were frustrated, unable to get anything going offensively in the eventual 7-0 loss. What’s unclear is whether the forward—who has no history of suspension—will receive any supplemental discipline.
If suspended, Draisaitl would be the second NHL player ordered to miss time during this post-season. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert was issued a one-game suspension (which he served for Sunday’s Game 3) after a vicious cross-check on Penguins’ Tom Kuhnhackl in Game 2.
The Oilers-Sharks series is now tied 2-2 going back to Edmonton for Game 5 on Thursday.