Leafs/Jets game gets out of hand; Pionk, Spezza could face disciplinary action from the league

The Toronto Maple Leafs came up on the wrong end of a 6-3 decision to the Winnipeg Jets, but they lost more than just the game on Sunday night, as young blueliner Rasmus Sandin was forced out of the game with an apparent knee injury.

During the third period, Sandin was caught by a knee-on-knee hit, courtesy of Jets defenseman Neal Pionk, which sent the young Swede spinning to the ice, clutching his right knee. You can see the hit below.

The Leafs bench erupted in frustration, as the officials had been gradually letting the game get out of control up to that point. Matters only intensified when Pionk was not assessed a penalty on the play.

What followed was a downright nasty second half of the 3rd frame, with both sides stockpiling penalty minutes. All in all, there were 50 minutes in penalties called in the contest, with 34 of those minutes coming in the final 12:30 of the game.

While the Pionk hit may draw the attention of the NHL's Department of Player Safety, a hit that occurred a short time later is also likely to be looked at by the league.

Jason Spezza, who was one of the more visibly frustrated Leafs on Sunday night, due to the missed call on Pionk, Spezza took a run at the Jets defenseman as he was falling, appearing to catch him in the head with his leg and finishing his check hard.

The Leafs/Jets game was one that the officials should have gotten under control much earlier than they did, which begs the question; how much longer is the NHL going to go to bat for its officials before they admit there's a problem?

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