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Jarret Stoll might see league discipline for hit from behind on Ian White

Jarret Stoll

The Los Angeles Kings are already playing in the playoffs shorthanded thanks to an ankle injury to Anze Kopitar and losing another centerman would do nothing to help them try to beat the Sharks in the first round of the playoffs. During last night’s 3-2 overtime loss to San Jose, Kings center Jarret Stoll delivered a hit from behind to Sharks defenseman Ian White that might see him getting a call from the NHL.

Stoll boarded White while he was looking to fish out the puck along the boards behind the San Jose net and ended up smashing Stoll’s head into the top of the boards where the dasher meets the glass. The ugly hit put White down and he was removed from the game and did not return. There was no penalty called on the play. (Video here)

CSN Bay Area’s Brodie Brazil reported on Twitter after the game saying that the league is looking into the hit and that White is not feeling well. Sharks players are not too happy with the lack of call on the play and the fact that White is hurt. Sharks coach Todd McLellan was able to keep it all in perspective.

“We did have a chance to look at it,” Sharks Head Coach Todd McLellan said. “After the game we got a really good angle from right behind the glass. There was a camera right there and the good news for us is the league is looking at these types of things. They take them very serious. The bad news is we lost a very good defenseman that we count on.”

Ian White was playing in his first career playoff game and going out like this is unpleasant. For the Kings, should they lose Stoll to a suspension of some kind, youngster Oscar Moller would likely slot into his position in the lineup. Moller was a healthy scratch in Game 1 in favor of tough guy Kevin Westgarth.

Suspensions in the playoffs in the past have always been seemingly softer compared to regular season plays because the games have a much greater immediate impact on the season. Plays like this in the past would either net no suspension or a one game ban. With a hit like this and an apparent head injury to White, it seems likely that Stoll would see some sort of action taken against him. Losing Stoll for even a game really amps up the pressure on the Kings to find ways to score and with Kopitar out, that’s already hard enough.