ANAHEIM – John Scott could be getting a phone call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety.
At the 8:18 mark of the second period during a scrum around the Anaheim net on Monday, Scott nailed the Ducks’ Tim Jackman flush in the side of the jaw with what looked to be either his fist or the butt end of his stick. Jackman immediately toppled over, and appeared to be out cold for a few moments before he eventually got to his skates and left the game.
Scott, who was suspended for coming off of the bench for the purposes of starting an altercation with Jackman on Oct. 26, was not penalized on the play.
[INSTANT REPLAY: Sharks stunned by Ducks, lose in OT]
Todd McLellan reacted to the incident after the game.
“I didn’t see what happened on the ice, I just saw Tim laying there and went and looked at [video] after. I think they came together at the net, and instinct – John put his hands up, and he ran into it. I didn’t think it was an issue at all.”
Bruce Boudreau said that Jackman “wasn’t feeling very good” after the game.
As for the play itself, Boudreau said: “It looked like Scott thought he was coming after him. He went up to protect him, and I don’t know if he hit him with the stick or the forearm. Got him right in the jaw. When you hit a guy in the jaw, bad things usually happen.”
[REWIND: Sharks pleased with effort despite overtime loss to Ducks]
Was it incidental or intentional?
“You’d have to ask him,” Boudreau said.
According to a Sharks spokesman, Scott had already gotten dressed and left the locker room by the time he was requested to comment after the game.
