NHL Department of Player Safety Harshly Punishes Emil Lilleberg for Illegal Interference
The NHL Department of Player Safety has handed Tampa Bay Lightning rookie Emil Lilleberg a suspension for a bad hit on JT Compher.
The hit took place on Saturday when the Red Wings shutout the Lightning by a final score of 2-0.
During the game, Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg received a minor penalty for interference on a hit against Red Wings forward JT Compher.
However, the Department of Player Safety saw it differently, giving him a hearing for the play.
Earlier this evening, the DoPS reached their verdict, announcing a two-game suspension for the 23-year-old.
They explained their reasoning in a short video, highlighting the fact that the hit was late, forceful, and made 'significant' contact with Compher's head.
This ruling seems consistent with similar ones made this season, but once again it does highlight a disconnect between the on-ice officials and the front office as the referees did not think this warranted a major penalty, let alone a suspension.
Lilleberg will be eligible to return to the lineup for the Lightning on February 1st when they host the New York Islanders.
He has 11 assists in 45 games with the team this year and 16 assists in 82 career NHL games. He is still looking for his first career goal.
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JANVIER 27 | 106 ANSWERS NHL Department of Player Safety Harshly Punishes Emil Lilleberg for Illegal Interference Do you agree with the two-game suspension for Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg for his hit on JT Compher? | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Matthew Tkachuk | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Sidney Crosby | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack Hughes | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Luke Hughes | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jesper Bratt | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Quinn Hughes | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Timo Meier | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brett Pesce | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Aleksander Barkov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nathan Bastian | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sam Bennett | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nils Hoglander | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Erik Karlsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Linus Karlsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marat Khusnutdinov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dawson Mercer | 1 | - | 1 | |
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| William Nylander | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Capitals | 50 | 34 | 11 | 5 | 73 | |
Jets | 52 | 35 | 14 | 3 | 73 | |
Oilers | 50 | 32 | 15 | 3 | 67 | |
Golden Knights | 51 | 31 | 15 | 5 | 67 | |
Hurricanes | 51 | 31 | 16 | 4 | 66 | |
Stars | 50 | 32 | 17 | 1 | 65 | |
Wild | 51 | 30 | 17 | 4 | 64 | |
Devils | 53 | 29 | 18 | 6 | 64 | |
Panthers | 52 | 30 | 19 | 3 | 63 | |
Maple Leafs | 51 | 30 | 19 | 2 | 62 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||