Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was motionless on the ice and left Saturday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators after being hit in the back of the head by forward Mathieu Joseph during a net-front battle.
Red Wings teammate David Perron faces a possible lengthy suspension for how he reacted to the hit.
Larkin fell into Ottawa’s Parker Kelly then went face down on the ice after the Joseph hit at 13:50 of the first period. Red Wings medical personnel called for a stretcher, but Larkin got up and looked unsteady as he was helped to the dressing room by teammates. He didn’t return to the game.
‘A really scary situation with him being knocked out, obviously, and leaving on his own feet,’ coach Derek Lalonde said after the game. ‘No further update. He’s still being evaluated.’
The play was concerning because Larkin had suffered a neck injury when he was cross-checked by the Dallas Stars’ Jamie Benn in April 2021.
Joseph and Kelly were called for roughing on Saturday’s play, but Perron got a harsher penalty as he cross-checked Senators defenseman Artem Zub, who had fallen on Larkin.
Perron received a match penalty, and the NHL’s player safety department announced Sunday that he was being offered an in-person hearing. That means he faces a potential suspension of more than five games. No hearing date has been set.
Detroit’s Christian Fischer fought with Joseph early in the third period of the 5-1 Ottawa win.
‘It was a tough sight to see,’ Fischer told reporters. ‘You never want to see anyone down, especially the leader of your team. It was tough to regroup from. I think we did an OK job of it.’
