NHL referee Steve Kozari was stretchered off during Saturday’s afternoon game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning after an accidental collision with defenseman Haydn Fleury.
In the third period of Saturday’s NHL game at PPG Paints Arena, Kozari and the Tampa Bay defenseman were both watching play near center ice. The two inadvertently collided, and Kozari slammed his head against the ice in a scary scene. Kozari showed movement as he was being taken away on a stretcher.
The NHL Public Relations X/Twitter account later announced that he had movement in all extremities, was alert and should make a full recovery:
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The 50-year-old Kozari has been part of the National Hockey League Officials Association (NHLOA) since 2003. He has officiated over 1,100 NHL games, more than 136 postseason games and four Stanley Cup Finals contests.
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Saturday’s tilt carried significant playoff implications. With four straight victories, the Penguins climbed back into the NHL playoff picture, while the Lightning (43-27-7) failed to gain ground on the Toronto Maple Leafs for third in the Atlantic Division.
Pittsburgh coughed up a 4-1 third period lead in front of a stunned home crowd, but trade deadline pickup Michael Bunting saved the day with the game-winning goal at the 14:32 mark of the third period. The Penguins held on for a 5-4 victory.
NHL Playoffs Begin In Two Weeks
The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Apr. 20, as 16 of the 32 teams will compete once again for hockey’s ultimate prize.
10 of the 16 playoff spots have already been clinched, with five in each conference. The No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan and Pacific Divisions are still up for grabs, as are the wild card spots in each conference.
The Vegas Golden Knights (on the verge of clinching a playoff spot) are the defending Stanley Cup champions. They’ll aim to join the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016 and 2017) and the Lightning (2020 and 2021) as the only teams to win consecutive Stanley Cups in the 21st century.
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