San Jose Sharks forward Luke Kunin will not receive any supplemental discipline for last night’s match penalty for an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers forward Patric Hornqvist.
Kunin told San Jose Hockey Now that he and the team heard from the league office on Friday confirming that he would not face any suspension or fine.
“I mean, just trying to make a hockey play, obviously not trying to hurt him,” Kunin said about the hit. “He was kind of reaching. I thought the initial contact was shoulder to shoulder, but I guess the ref saw something else.”
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“It’s tough for everyone involved. [You] want to protect the players, I get that, but it sucks to get kicked out of the game. So [I] hope he’s all right,” Kunin offered.
The NHL is trying to put the onus on the person delivering the contact to hold up if the opposition player is in a vulnerable position, but the winger reminded us why that’s not easy.
“The game’s happening so fast right there. He reaches, I don’t think I accelerate or anything, I just kind of play through him.”
With the penalty coming just 9:14 into the game, Kunin was forced to the San Jose Sharks dressing room early in the night.
“I rode the bike and watched the game,” Kunin said.
Kunin’s physical play style may have led to an early exit, but he still leads San Jose with 30 hits this season.
Kunin will draw back into the line-up Saturday night as the San Jose Sharks take on the Anaheim Ducks at the SAP Center. This physicality and toughness may come into play if the Sharks are looking for a Duck to answer the bell for Trevor Zegras’s “cheap shot” on Matt Benning on Tuesday night.
NHL Fines Zegras: Benning Upset After ‘Cheap Shot’
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