The Vancouver Canucks lost forward Brock Boeser during Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena when he was leveled by a hit to his head from Kings forward Tanner Jeannot.
While skating through the neutral zone, Jeannot caught Boeser on the side of his head with his right shoulder, sending him down to the ice in obvious distress. Meanwhile, Jeannot was issued a match penalty and ejected from the game.
Due to the match penalty, Jeannot was guaranteed to hear from the NHL Department of Player Safety, with whom he had a hearing for his actions. And according to a report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on X, the punishment has been levied – he'll sit for the next three games.
The news was then made official by the DPS on X.
The loss of Jeannot for the next three games won't have much effect on the Kings' offense, as he's only scored one goal with one assist in 15 games played. He's in his first season with Los Angeles after being acquired via trade in the offseason from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Kings will face the Columbus Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames, and Colorado Avalanche in their next three outings; Jeannot will be eligible to return to the Los Angeles lineup on Saturday, November 16 when the Detroit Red Wings come to town.
Brock Boeser is Vancouver's leading goal scorer
The Canucks forward is coming off a career-best 40 goals last season and is currently the team leader in goals scored this season with six; he's also second overall in total points on the team with 11.
A native of Minnesota, Boeser was selected by the Canucks with the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, and made his professional debut with the club in the 2016-17 season.
In 491 career NHL games, all with the Canucks, Boeser has tallied 185 goals and 210 assists; he's also added 11 goals and 12 assists in 29 career postseason games.