The NHL has suspended the Penguins’ Deryk Engelland for an illegal hit on Marcus Kruger of the Blackhawks earlier this week. Engelland left his feet to hit Kruger in the head, and NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan points to that as the reason for the suspension. Kruger was later diagnosed with a concussion.
That Engelland would be suspended seemed like a likely outcome as soon as the hit occurred. Ironically, the play turned out to be a crucial one that helped the Penguins win the game, because Engelland was not penalized for the hit, and then the Blackhawks’ John Scott came to Kruger’s defense by picking a fight with Engelland. That led to a Penguins power play, which led to Chris Kunitz scoring the game’s first goal. The Penguins eventually won the game by one after a tense third period.
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