Detroit Red Wings Dylan Larkin may face discipline after second headshot

The hit to the head occurred with seven minutes remaining in the third period when the Toronto Maple Leafs were playing the Detroit Red Wings in Little Caesars Arena. Larkin had skated by Rifai and threw his shoulder directly into his head. Rifai Fell to the ice quickly and Larkin was assessed an illegal check to the head penalty. Rifai fortunately did not lose any time as he was not injured on the play.

This is not the first time he has done this as in a few days ago when the Red Wings were playing the Blackhawks, Larkin had committed another headshot which did not receive any supplement reaction from the players department of safety.

This behavior from Larkin is not normally part of his game plan good known as a prolific scorer and one of the top point getters for the red wigs it's likely head coach Derek LaLonde may have a few words with Larkin and potentially rain him back to reality but he is far better to be putting the pucks in the net and getting as many points as possible rather than doing headshots to other players.

This preseason has been augmented by the number of injuries that have occurred amongst the star players. This has led to many discussions on whether the NHL should consider lowering the number of games played during the preseason and potentially giving the fan base knowledge that two of the games could be rookie games only.

Granted, this discussion would be held during the next CBA negotiations which are slated to begin after January as the deal is set to expire in 2026.
In the meantime, it's likely Larkin will get back to what he knows which is scoring goals and keeping his head shots in check.

Source: House of Hockey

Source: Hawksinsider.com