Photo credit: Sportsnet

On Thursday evening, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin stepped up and drilled Leafs defenseman Marshall Rifai with a nasty head shot, deserving of a suspension.

The Leafs kept things rolling on Thursday, pulling off a thrilling 2-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings, moving to 3-1-1 in the pre-season with one exhibition game remaining on their schedule on Saturday night.

Unfortunately for the Red Wings, they may have to play that game without the likes of captain Dylan Larkin, who struck the 26-year-old Rifai in the head as the Leafs hopeful attempted to clear the puck in the 3rd period of last night’s matchup.

 

Larkin was issued a penalty on the play for an illegal check to the head, which is a pretty good indicator that the Department of Player Safety will have a look at it. The one thing that may play into the Red Wings’ favour, though, is that Rifai remained in the game, finishing with nearly 20 minutes of ice time, blocking 4 shots and recording a shot on goal.

Player Safety often takes whether or not a player was injured on the play into account when deciding whether or not a suspension is warranted. With Rifai essentially not missing a shift, it could, in theory, spare Larkin from a suspension. As a result, a fine could also be a potential outcome here.

Rifai has opened up a lot of eyes during training camp thus far, and appears to be in a hard-fought battle with Conor Timmins for a spot on the Maple Leafs’ roster, with Timothy Liljegren appearing to slip down the depth chart in Toronto.