Los Angeles Kings’ Blake Lizotte suspended one game for cross-checking Jets’ Josh Morrissey

The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced Sunday that Los Angeles Kings forward Blake Lizotte has been suspended one game for cross-checking Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey in the face during Saturday’s 4-1 win. 

The incident occurred around the 5:50 mark of the second period when Lizotte and Morrissey found themselves in a disagreement in front of the Jets bench. As Morrissey looked keen to drop the gloves, Lizotte cross-checked him in the face. Lizotte was handed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. Morrissey went down and was able to get up on his own and made his way down the tunnel to the medical room. Morrissey told reporters that he took seven or eight stitches in his mouth and about 10 outside across his chin where Lizotte checked him. Jets teammate Pierre Luc Dubois called it a “dirty play” while Morrissey had his own comments, “My reaction is it hurts a lot and I needed to get off the ice. It was a careless play. I thought we were going to go and I took a cross-check to the chin. It could have been my teeth, so thankfully not,” said Morrissey.

Jets head coach Rick Bowness also spoke to the media about the hit and shared his thoughts, “It’s something the league is certainly going to take a look at. It’s an uncalled-for cross-check into a guy’s face. The league’s got to take a really good look at that one.”

Lizotte, 25, has registered a career-high 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points and 64 penalty minutes in 72 games this season. He signed a two-year, $3.35 million extension with the Kings last summer, the contract has an average annual value of $1.6 million.