LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Kings winger Brendan Lemieux was hit with a match penalty and ejected from Saturday’s 4-2 win after Ottawa Senators winger Brady Tkachuk said Lemieux bit his hand.
The players were grappling on the ice in the third period before Tkachuk got up with blood showing on his hand. He could be seen telling officials that Lemieux had bit him during the tussle.
“It’s outrageous,” a furious Tkachuk said after the game, according to the Ottawa Sun. “Kids don’t even do that anymore. Babies do that. I don’t even know what he was thinking, he’s just a complete brick head. He’s got nothing up there. Bad guy, bad player but was a joke he is.”
Kings coach Todd McLellan said Lemieux, who has become a staple on the fourth line, needs to be careful not to cross the line in instances like his fracas with Tkachuk and expressed concern it could result in a suspension.
“We need him playing every night,” McLellan said. “We need him playing every minute that he gets. Offensively, defensively, physically, emotionally. And if we happen to lose him for any period of time, we’ll miss him. And he has to understand how important he’s become.”
The Kings snapped a five-game losing streak with the win on Saturday night.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.