Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Rostislav Klesla was resting comfortably at home Monday after suffering a concussion and whiplash during a preseason game Sunday game against the Los Angeles Kings, coach Dave Tippett said at an afternoon press conference.
Klesla was taken from the ice at Jobing.com Arena on a stretcher midway through the first period after a hit by Kings forward Jordan Nolan. Klesla was alert and waved to the crowd as he was removed from the ice. He was taken to an area hospital and remained there until about 3 a.m., according to Tippett, before being released.
"He probably has a little bit of a headache but ... he's home, which is a good sign," Tippett said, adding there was no timetable for Klesla's return to the ice.
Nolan was assessed four minutes in penalties after tussling with Klesla's teammate Martin Hanzal, and then another, larger fracas ensued when Nolan came out of the box. Four players, including Nolan, were given 10-minute misconducts and Coyotes forward Paul Bissonnette was assessed a game misconduct for leaving the bench.
"It was a change. [Bissonnette] was next going. I don't know if he jumped early or what the situation was but it wasn't much of an altercation," Tippett said in comments tweeted by AZCentral.com reporter Sarah McLellan.
On Monday, Bissonnette was assessed an automatic 10-game suspension for leaving the bench on an illegal line change. The NHL opted not to assess any further discipline to Nolan.
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