The NHL suspended Los Angeles Kings forward Tanner Jeannot on Friday for three games for his high hit on Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser during the Canucks’ 4-2 victory Thursday night.
Jeannot was assessed a match penalty and ejected from the contest at 10:44 of the first period for an illegal check to Boeser’s head. The Canucks would later get a goal from Conor Garland on the resulting five-minute major penalty but lost Boeser for the balance of the contest.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety, which announced Jeannot’s suspension, said the head contact on the play was “avoidable” and Jeannot should have made Boeser’s shoulder and core the main point of contact instead of his head.
Boeser, who had a career year in 2023-24 with 40 goals and 73 points, leads Vancouver with six goals. His 11 points are tied with Garland and J.T. Miller behind Quinn Hughes. The Canucks could be without their scorer when they host Edmonton on Saturday after completing a sweep of the three California teams.
Jeannot had a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Friday after skating in an optional practice, which guaranteed any suspension would not exceed five games. The discipline marks the left wing’s first suspension in five NHL seasons. When playing for the Nashville Predators in 2022, Jeannot was fined $2,000 for kneeing Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk.
The Kings acquired the 27-year-old from the Tampa Bay Lightning for two draft picks, one of them a second-round choice in 2025. Jeannot, who is playing on an expiring deal, has one goal and one assist in 15 games with Los Angeles.
As of Friday morning, Kings coach Jim Hiller said there hadn’t been a decision on whether they would recall a forward from the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The Kings are without Alex Turcotte, who missed his second consecutive game and is day to day with an upper-body injury.
Turcotte was injured Monday when Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon hit him. The Kings said Friday that the injury is not head related, which is notable given the forward’s history with concussions.
“There’s always injuries or things that happen during the year,” Kings center Trevor Lewis said of the team’s depth. “You need depth in the organization. Guys to step up. You don’t always fill the holes but I think everyone has to take a collective stand. Pick up for where we need to.”
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
