To nobody’s surprise, Tampa Bay defenseman Nikita Nesterov will have a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check from behind on Dallas’s Curtis McKenzie.
The hit, which occurred during Thursday’s game at Amalie, sent McKenzie to hospital in “excruciating pain,” per Stars head coach Lindy Ruff. Nesterov was given a five-minute major and game misconduct.
No update yet today on #Stars forward Curtis McKenzie. He did not fly with team to Ft. Lauderdale, remaining in Tampa Bay at hospital visit.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) October 16, 2015
Nesterov doesn’t have a disciplinary history with the league, largely because he has a small body of work. He played in just 27 games last year, his first in the NHL, and was making only his second appearance of the season against the Stars on Thursday.