The Los Angeles Kings won’t have Milan Lucic in the lineup tonight, as the NHL handed him a one-game suspension on Sunday.
In case you missed it, Lucic delivered a “sucker punch” (the Department of Player Safety’s own words) to Kevin Connuaton of the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. Lucic needed to be restrained by officials.
As you can see from the video explanation for the suspension, there were three factors in the decision:
- Lucic delivered the blow “on an unsuspecting opponent.”
- His disciplinary history did not help his cause.
- The lack of injury for Connuaton, however, did help limit Lucic’s punishment.
While this brings up memories of Lucic losing his cool against San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture to start the season, at least one person believes that the power forward had largely been keeping his rage under control.
Lucic has avoided these situations w/ LA, by & large. After opening night rescinded match pen, 11 minors, two fighting majors prior to Sat.
— LA Kings Insider (@lakingsinsider) January 24, 2016
Is this punishment fair, excessive or merely a slap on the wrist?
With Lucic suspended one game, here are the projected lines and D pairings for tonight's #LAKings v #SJsharks pic.twitter.com/bAe4SEGfZS
— The Mayor | Team MM (@mayorNHL) January 24, 2016