On Friday, NHL came calling for Marcus Johansson.
Johansson, who delivered a questionable hit to the head of Isles defenseman Thomas Hickey last night, will have a disciplinary hearing for his actions, the Department of Player Safety announced today.
The hit occurred in the first period, earning Johansson a two minute illegal check to the head minor. Hickey was momentarily shaken up but did return to the game, and finished with 22 shifts for just over 15 minutes of ice time.
Reactions to the hit were mixed. Isles fans at Barclays were vociferous in their objections, and several on social media speculated the DoPS would be having a word with Johansson.
That said, Caps head coach Barry Trotz jumped to the defense of his player (unsurprisingly).
“I watched it,” said Trotz, as per CSN Mid-Atlantic. “Their guy was putting the puck into the zone. Marcus came into him and got him with a shoulder. Marcus is not that type of player at all.
“It’s unfortunate, but (Hickey) was bent over when he shot it. His head came down a little bit and Marcus was trying to hit him through the crest (on his jersey). I didn’t think there was anything malice or anything vicious on it. It was just a hard hit.”
Should Johansson be suspended, he’d be the second Caps forward to suffer such a fate this week. Earlier, Zach Sill was banned two games for boarding B’s d-man Adam McQuaid.