Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg is set to have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety following his hit on Detroit’s J.T. Compher in the Lightning’s 2-0 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday night.
See the hit at the 7:24 mark in the video below.
As you can see, the puck is nowhere near Compher when Lilleberg makes the hit. It also appears that the Tampa Bay defenseman is looking to initiate contact as he looks directly at Compher the entire time and has to be aware that the puck has been played out to the boards.
It also appears, at least from one of the angles shown, that the initial contact is with the head of the Red Wings’ forward. If the NHL decides that it is, Lilleberg could be facing a multiple-game suspension. Honestly, it’s pretty surprising that he was only assessed an interference call on the play.
He doesn’t have any supplemental discipline history with the NHL so that could be a point in his favor. He was suspended for one game by the IIHF during the 2021 World Championships for a hit to the head of Germany’s Maximilian Kasper. That has no bearing on what the DoPS will do, but worth noting.
The date of the hearing has yet to be determined, but will likely take place prior to the Lightning taking to the ice on Tuesday.
