Dustin Brown ejected in second period; Kings 2, Wild 2
Kings captain Dustin Brown was ejected at 8:12 of the second period for an illegal check to the head, a major penalty that carries an automatic game misconduct and leaves him subject to supplementary discipline from the NHL.
Brown was in the Kings’ zone when he skated laterally toward Antti Miettinen and used his shoulder to hit the Finnish forward. Miettinen’s head snapped back on impact, though it’s not clear that Brown hit his head.
However, the new rule regarding illegal checks to the head says, “A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principle point of contact is not permitted.” That means if the officials believed Brown targeted Miettinen’s head even if there was no contact, the penalty could be invoked.
The Wild failed to do much on the ensuing five-minute power play, and the Kings came back late in the period to tie the score at 2-2 during a five-on-three manpower advantage.
Jack Johnson took a shot that was stopped by Niklas Backstrom, and Justin Williams fanned on the rebound. But Anze Kopitar was there to flick it into the net with 16.2 seconds left in the period.
More later at www.latimes.com/sports
Helene Elliott in St. Paul, Minn.
