Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann will have to sit and watch Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
The NHL’s department of player safety announced on Tuesday, McMann’s been suspended for one game for high-sticking Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand on Monday night.
It’s McMann’s first suspension, and comes after he two-handed Bjorkstrand across the side of the head, after he received a vicious cross-check to the back and was not happy about it. Monday’s game between the Leafs and Lightning was quite chippy, and this incident all started after Leafs defenceman Dakota Mermis was kneed, and left the game.
McMann has had an up and down season so far for the Maple Leafs, but has found a nice role for himself on the third line recently alongside Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua. With McMann out of the lineup, look for Nick Robertson to draw back in after being a surprising scratch on Monday night.
As for the Leafs, they’ve been better of late, Maple Leafs and have climbed up the Atlantic Division standings, and are now just three points out of first place. The entire division is crowded and it’s going to be crucial for the team to continue their recent hot streak if they want to stick around the playoff picture.
McMann’s appeared in 29 games this season, scoring eight goals and adding six assists, for 14 points. He’s tallied 30 penalty minutes on the year.
