Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno has been suspended two games for kneeing Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry, NHL Player Safety announced on Thursday.
During Tuesday’s game in Winnipeg, Foligno appeared to knee Lowry in the head at the end of a fight. The two power forwards fought during a rough first period that also saw Winnipeg’s Brenden Dillon fight Minnesota’s Jordan Greenway at the same time. The double-billed main event was triggered by an open-ice hit by Dillon on Foligno, with Greenway grabbing Dillon immediately after.
Both Lowry and Foligno received five-minute penalties for fighting, and Foligno received an extra two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
After the game, Foligno said there wasn’t any intent to hit Lowry with his knee during the scrum.
“I saw them complaining maybe I got my leg in there or something, but that was just me kind of ticked-off and trying to get at him,” Foligno told reporters. “There was no intent to, you know, not throw with your fist or use another body part in there. So, I’m sure there will be things said and their complaints, but for me it was just heat of the battle.
“…Just a little ticked off, and you should resist once the linesmen get in there just for the respect factor, but it is what it is. I mean, I’ve been in enough fights that I’ve held off, I’ve had it done to me. Just is what it is.”
Minnesota hosts the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, followed by the Detroit Red Wings on Monday.
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