The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today (Jan. 27) that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Emil Lilleberg has been suspended two games without pay for interference against Detroit Red Wings forward J.T. Compher on Saturday night (Jan. 25).
Emil Lilleberg has been suspended two games for interference against J.T. Compher pic.twitter.com/M8XXtilgAm
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 27, 2025
Compher carried the puck through the neutral zone and had already passed it when Lilleberg stepped into him just inside the blue line, driving his shoulder into Compher’s head.
On Sunday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that the hearing had been set for Monday and acted quickly to determine the punishment, which was announced on Monday on the department’s social media feed.
Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Lilleberg will forfeit $9,062.50 in salary, which will go to the players’ emergency assistance fund.
Lilleberg was originally drafted 107th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. The Lightning signed him as a free agent in 2023. He has five points in 37 career games for Tampa.
The Lightning play host to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
