With injuries plaguing their defensive corps, the Penguins called up some young guns to bolster their blue line on Monday night, and one defenseman ensured that his opponents would remember his name — albeit, not in a positive light.
The Pens were without five of their top-six defensemen while taking on the Maple Leafs as Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang, Rob Scuderi, Paul Martin and Deryk Engelland are all sidelined, but now they may be adding another name to that list. In just his 19th game with the NHL club this season, Robert Bortuzzo leveled Toronto forward Jerry D’Amigo with a high hit that the league will likely review.Â
The 6-foot-4 defenseman crushed the 5-foot-8 winger midway through the third period as D’Amigo was crossing center ice. Bortuzzo was given a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head for his blow, which left D’Amigo down on the ice for several minutes.
D’Amigo would eventually make his way to the bench, and he even returned to the game for his next shift, but his time on the ice was short-lived as Bortuzzo rocked him once again, forcing him to leave with what Toronto announced was a shoulder injury.
UPDATE: The NHL Department of Player Safety has since announced that it will not be pursuing supplemental discipline, citing “unavoidable head contact on an otherwise full body hit.”
Check out Bortuzzo’s high hit below.
