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Bolts’ Erne apologizes for hit to Blues’ Sobotka’s head

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Tampa Bay Lightning youngster Adam Erne caught St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Sobotka with a hit to the head, sidelining the 26-year-old with an upper-body injury. It might be slim solace for St. Louis, but Erne apologized after the game, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Damian Cristodero.

“It was a total accident,” Erne said.

To little surprise, the Blues weren’t pleased with that check (more on that soon). Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock thinks that Erne will receive supplemental discipline for the hit, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeremy Rutherford reports.

“I am sure the league is going to look at it hard and I’m sure there will be some type of suspension with it,” Hitchcock said.

The Lightning selected Erne, 18, with their second-round pick (33rd overall) in the 2013 NHL Draft. There’s no telling if the team intends to play the sizable forward at the NHL level - even as a cup of coffee - but their options might be a little more limited if the league decides that a suspension is appropriate.

(Again, video of the hit will be shared when/if it is made available.)

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins