- Steve Kozari and Fleury met at center ice at 6:11 of the third period.
- The NHL later said the referee was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons.
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Referee Steve Kozari was taken to the hospital after a nasty collision with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury on Saturday.
The referee had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher after the accident in the third period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-4 win over the Lightning on Saturday.
Kozari and Fleury met at center ice 6:11 into the third period as the Penguins began advancing the puck out of their defensive zone.
Kozari hit his head on the ice and was down for several minutes while being treated by medical staff before being taken off the ice. He was able to move his arms and hands.
The NHL said Kozari was taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons and was “conscious and alert, has the use of all of his extremities and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Referee Steve Kozari was taken to the hospital after a collision with Tampa Bay’s Haydn Fleury.
Kozari hit his head on the ice and was down for several minutes while he was treated.
The referee had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher after the fall in the third period.
Fleury was also on the ice for several minutes. He did not return to the game.
“That was tough to watch,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “I went into the locker room during that break.
‘Naturally, (Fleury) was a little shocked. It was just one of those plays that was kind of a freak accident. But hopefully both guys will be okay.”
The Penguins advanced to a playoff berth with the victory after Michael Bunting broke the tie with 5:28 left in the third period.
Evgeni Malkin had two goals and an assist for Pittsburgh, and Bunting also had two assists. Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang also scored.
Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves in his eighth straight start.
Pittsburgh earned its fourth straight win and improved to 6-0-2 in its last eight games overall. They are tied with Philadelphia for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, with the Flyers visiting Columbus on Saturday night.
The Lightning, who clinched a playoff berth on Friday when Philadelphia, Washington and Detroit lost in regulation, had won 10 of their previous 12.