In the wake of losing rookie scoring sensation Tomas Hertl to injury after a Dustin Brown knee on Thursday, Sharks captain Joe Thornton figured he wouldn’t be seeing Hertl for a while.
“It’s tough,” Thornton said. “I don’t know how long he’s gonna go out for -- I didn’t see the play, but I know he’s going to be out for a little bit.”
The incident occurred late in the first period, forcing Hertl from the game entirely. Brown, the Kings captain, was given a five-minute kneeing major and game misconduct on the hit:
Following the game, Kings head coach Darryl Sutter was still upset with the penalty, which he believed was a blown call.
“That is not the right call,” Sutter said, as per LA Kings Insider. “Clear. No more questions about it. I saw it live and I saw two or three replays.
“It’s not the right call.”
This isn’t the first time Hertl’s been on the receiving end of a big check this season. Back in early October, he was shook up on a high hit from Vancouver defenseman Alex Edler, who was suspended three games for his actions.
No word yet if Brown will be facing supplemental discipline.
Update: From Czech TV Nova reporter Roman Jedlicka...#SJSharks Tomas Hertl should be one month without hockey. Good source. Bad for Czech hockey team, bad for Calder Trophy...
— Roman Jedlicka (@jedli) December 20, 2013