Ryan Leonard could find himself in hot water with the NHL after a high-sticking penalty he took against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
The play occurred 5:39 into the second period. As Leonard had the puck swiped away by Cody Glass along the sideboards, the Capitals’ young star baseball-swung his stick into Glass’s face, opening up a gash near the Devils forward’s right eye.
Video of the play is going viral on social media.
Leonard was assessed a double minor for high-sticking due to the blood, but officials did not appear to catch the intentionality of the swing, which arguably could have earned a major penalty and ejection.
While Glass was bloodied, he did not appear to miss a shift, returning to the ice less than four minutes later.
The Capitals successfully killed the four-minute power play but lost 7-4 anyway.
Beyond the high stick, Leonard was feisty all night and managed to score his seventh goal of the season, beating Connor Hellebuyck with a slap shot from the top of the right circle. The tally put the Caps up 2-1 with 5:26 remaining in the first period.
Leonard also drew his 11th penalty of the season, tied for seventh most in the NHL.
