Travis Konecny might be in trouble. During a skirmish with Bryan Rust on Wednesday night, the Flyers winger appeared to throw a kick.
Kicking incidents fall into a small group of infractions the NHL takes almost personally. Hits to the head get discussed. Kicks get punished.
The Department of Player Safety will take a long look at this one. The game is still being played as of this writing, so the official response won't come until the dust settles.
Rust, the 33-year-old Penguins forward, has been a handful all series. He's put up 8 points in his last 10 games and was already a pest in the regular season.
Konecny isn't a stranger to rough hockey. The 29-year-old winger put up 27 goals and 68 points across 77 games, carrying a plus-14 rating.
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Rick Tocchet's winger could miss Game 4 if the league drops the hammer
Philadelphia leads the series 2-0 after winning both games on the road. That's a massive position of strength for Rick Tocchet's group, and it's exactly why this suspension question matters so much.
Konecny has 2 assists through two playoff games. He's also a plus-3. Losing him for even one game changes the top six considerably.
How harsh will the league go? That depends entirely on the video. A flared skate looks different than a directed kick, and Player Safety lives in that gray area.
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The Penguins needed a spark. Dan Muse's bench has been searching for it for two straight games, and this is exactly the kind of moment that can flip momentum.
Is a borderline kick really the hill Konecny wants to die on with a 2-0 series lead? Hard to imagine. But the playoffs do funny things to good players.
Daniel Briere will be on the phone with the league quickly.
That's the GM's job, and the timing couldn't be worse for Philadelphia, which now finds itself dealing with more frustration, more questions, and absolutely no room for another setback.
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Should the NHL suspend Travis Konecny for the apparent kick on Bryan Rust?
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