The Kings are having some difficulty getting offense from a line outside of Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli, and things may be getting much more difficult soon.
Anze Kopitar left the game Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues after taking what appeared to be the butt end of a stick (or potentially an elbow) in the face from Blues forward Ryan Reaves.
The play was not caught by officials and play resumed as Kopitar went off. The Kings center was attended to on the bench, and took a few more shifts in the first before leaving the game. It was reported later that he would not return.
Told by a Kings PR representative that Kopitar has an upper-body injury and is not expected to return.
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) November 4, 2015On official sheet, Kopitar listed with a 2nd-period shift but I just ran the DVR back...he wasn't there. Had 3 first-period shifts after hit
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) November 4, 2015While the hit looked like a potentially innocent collision at first glance, the move looked a little more premeditated upon further viewings.
Originally, at full speed, it looked as though Reaves was attempting to simply slow Kopitar with a little nudge as he came from behind the net and out across the mouth of the goal. Slowed down it looks worse.
Reaves made Kopitar bleed his own blood with an elbow to the face pic.twitter.com/kAJ3XsEt1b
— Stephanie (@myregularface) November 4, 2015and perhaps even a little bit worse in stills.
The next two tweets are thanks to faithful reader EMT Britt on twitter.
@SirJDL intentional too pic.twitter.com/II42ncvoCB
— EMT Britt (@LUCKY20_67) November 4, 2015@SirJDL @NHLonNBCSports @NHLPlayerSafety here's a better look at the "chicken wing" pic.twitter.com/9Nx5kIS3Of
— EMT Britt (@LUCKY20_67) November 4, 2015Obviously, as you put the play under more and more scrutiny it looks worse. Hopefully it's nothing serious with No. 11. The intended malice of it all is certainly up for debate as of right now. It does not look like much of clean play from Reaves though in hindsight.
The overall good news is that Kopitar may be in the clear moving forward.
Sutter said he talked to Kopitar and that Kopitar feels good. Followed concussion protocol.
— Helene Elliott (@helenenothelen) November 4, 2015We will see as more develops.
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