San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek is dealing with a concussion and won’t be in the lineup against Colorado on Wednesday, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reports.
No Simek at the morning skate, but Goodrow appears in on 4th line. Looks like Joakim Ryan draws back in
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) January 2, 2019
Simek Diagnosed With Concussion
Concussion for Simek, per DeBoer
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) January 2, 2019
Simek sustained the injury in the final minutes of a New Year’s Eve battle against the Calgary Flames.
Cheap shot by Flames’ Sam Bennett and the Sharks bench is livid! pic.twitter.com/5I2sMP7skj
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) January 1, 2019
With time winding down and the Flames about to skate away with an 8-5 win at the Saddledome, Calgary center Sam Bennett went out of his way to lay a high hit on San Jose defenseman Simek, who had just passed the puck to a teammate. Simek did not prepare himself for the hit and took a hard open ice hit.
Sharks winger Barclay Goodrow immediately went for Bennett, and the two exchanged punches while Simek remained down on the ice.
The Sharks were not happy about the hit. When coach Peter DeBoer was asked for his thoughts on it after the game, his answer was short and clipped.
“Predatory,” he said. “That’s it.”
Bennett’s actions certainly stood out, even though the hit came in the final minute of play and there had been a fair amount of physicality throughout the game.
Will Bennett have a disciplinary hearing?
After the hit, TV cameras panned to the Sharks’ bench, where players and coaches were visibly upset with the hit. While Bennett received a match penalty — as did Goodrow for leaping to his teammate’s defense — the league certainly has taken another look at the hit for possible punishment.
According to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz and Sportsnet’s John Shannon, the NHL won’t discipline Bennett at all. No suspension. No fine. Nothing.
Something that will add more fuel to the rivalry that is shaking up between two of the Pacific Division top dogs.
What This Means For Simek and The Sharks
Prior to getting hurt, Simek was bogged down in a six-game pointless streak during which he was averaging a meager 14:15 of ice time. With the 26-year-old rookie unavailable, the Sharks will give Joakim Ryan a look in his stead. Once cleared to play, Simek may still find himself in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch the rest of the way.
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