The NHL suspended Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings for Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the San Jose Sharks for this hit on Ian White in final minute of the first period in Thursday's Game 1:
There was no penalty called, although there should have been. Five-minute major and a gamer seemed about right. But a suspension? That's iffy. We imagine White getting knocked out of the game played a factor, and the Sharks saying today that they're gloomy on him playing in Game 2. So it's an eye-for-an-eye here.
According to Rich Hammond of LA Kings Insider, Trevor Lewis will move up to play with Justin Williams and Ryan Smyth, who along with Stoll made up the Kings' best line in Game 1. John Zeiler was called up from the AHL, and either Zeiler or Oscar Moller will be the fourth-line center.
(UPDATE: From Helene Elliott: "Kings now say they are NOT recalling Zeiler for Saturday bcause he couldn't clear re-entry waivers and arrive in San Jose in time.")
Meanwhile, please recall (and watch it here) this hit by Jason Demers on Ryan Smyth during Game 1. It appears the hit will go unpunished, which shouldn't sit well with Kings Coach Terry Murray. Via Working the Corners, his assessment of the Demers hit:
"But I want to say this: If Jarret Stoll gets suspended for that hit, then Demers's is five times as severe a hit on Ryan Smyth than Jarret Stoll's hit on Ian White.
"He (Demers) meets every criteria that you can read about from league memorandums," Murray continued. "Every coach, every player, every management, every owner knows about it. If you travel distance, you launch yourself two to three feet off the ice and throw an elbow at a person's head, that is a suspension, a big-time suspension."
He's completely right, of course. But this is the NHL we're talking about, and Ryan Smyth finished Game 1, so ... Wheel of Justice then.
UPDATE: Here's Stoll on the suspension: