Kings forward Jordan Nolan has been suspended one game for punching “unsuspecting” Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu with “significant force” on Sunday.
In making the ruling, the league noted that Joensuu’s arms were tied up by the linesmen and that the scrum of players had “essentially ended” when Nolan decided to throw the punch. As such, it was “perfectly reasonable” for Joensuu to not expect to get punched. (Translation: Joensuu was not guilty of failing to properly defend himself.)
This isn’t Nolan’s first run-in with the league. In March, he was fined for cross-checking Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin.