(SB Nation) - In Tuesday night's Game 2 of the Western Conference Final between the Los Angeles Kings and the host Phoenix Coyotes, there was plenty of aggressive play. At times, that aggressive play turned vicious.
In the third period last night, with Phoenix trailing, 3-0, Dustin Brown was chasing a puck and held up near the boards behind the Coyotes' net. Martin Hanzal was in hot pursuit and shoved Brown hard into the boards, face-first. Luckily, Brown was not injured on the play, but Hanzal received a major penalty and was ejected.
With the NHL's new, stricter stance on hits, Hanzal may well be facing a suspension. The league has shown that it is more than willing to dole out postseason suspensions, as the Coyotes discovered all too well in the opening round of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Phoenix winger Raffi Torres was suspended for a hit and will miss the remainder of the playoffs as a result.