Red Wings' Kronwall suspended for Game 7 vs. Lightning
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall will miss Wednesday's Game 7 against the Tampa Bay LIghtning as punishment for an illegal hit on Nikita Kucherov during Game 6.
From the video:
Monday night in Detroit, Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall launched into a hit against Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov that resulted in significant head contact.
As the video shows, Kucherov is playing a puck along the right boards as Kronwall pinches down from his point position. After taking a couple quick strides to intersect Kucherov's path, Kronwall launches up and into a hit, driving his left forearm into Kucherov's face just after Kucherov releases a pass.
This is charging.
The NHL department of player safety acknowledged that Kucherov was eligible to be hit on the play, but the way Kronwall left his feet and delivered the hit to Kucherov's head with his forearm made the hit different from countless others the Red Wings blue-liner has delivered.
Red Wings GM Ken Holland: "We disagree with the decision." Beyond that, no comment.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) April 28, 2015
This is Kronwall's first suspension in his 11-season NHL career. He leads Detroit in time on ice and is the team's top defenseman on special teams.