Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Rostislav Klesla was carted off the ice during Sunday night's split-squad exhibition game against the Los Angeles Kings after sustaining a hit from Los Angeles forward Jordan Nolan.
Jordan Nolan hit injures Rusty Klesla; Suspension for Paul Bissonnette?
The NHL’s exhibition season is barely a weekend old and the league already faces a potential suspension.
Christian Petersen
The play occurred around the mid-way mark of the opening frame when Nolan caught Klesla in the head while leaving his feet to execute the open-ice hit, according to multiple accounts.
“It seemed to me like a guy got hit in the head and the player left his feet, but that’s not for me to diagnose,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett told reporters after the game. “The league does a good job of those. When they feel like there’s a violation committed, they take action. The league will look at it and we’ll go from there.”
Klesla was able to give the crowd at Jobing.com Arena a thumbs-up while being escorted off the ice.
Nolan was given a two-minute minor for roughing which was the result of a scrum in response to the hit. Another scrum ensued during Nolan's next shift, causing Coyotes forward Paul Bissonnette to leave the bench to engage the Kings forward in a fight. Bissonnette was given a 10-minute game misconduct for leaving the bench and could face supplemental discipline as, per the language in Rule 70.10, such an action would result in a 10-game regular season suspension.
The game was not televised, but the Coyotes have provided the NHL video of the events to be reviewed.
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