Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall has a hearing scheduled for this afternoon for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov.
The hit occurred late in the second period of Tampa Bay’s 5-2 win on Monday night.
Despite there being no penalty on the play, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety referred to the hit as “charging/illegal check to the head”.
Here’s a look at the hit:
As Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman points out, just because Kronwall has a hearing doesn’t mean he will be suspended. He could also end up with a fine.
Kronwall, who is known for his big hits, has never been suspended before.
“I thought it was a clean hit at the time,” Kronwall said per The Canadian Press.
Kucherov was not injured on the play and returned to the game.
“He made a hit. I’m not going to cry now,” Kucherov said postgame. “It’s a part of the game. That’s why we play here.”
Tampa coach Jon Cooper said he didn’t see the hit.
“The refs didn’t call a penalty so it must’ve been OK,” Cooper said.
Game 7 of the series goes Wednesday night at Amalie Arena.