- 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 as a precaution
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Referee Steve Kozari was taken to the hospital on Saturday after a nasty collision with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Haydn Fleury.
The referee had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher after the crash in the third period of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-4 win over the Lightning on Saturday.
Kozari and Fleury met at center ice at the 6:11 mark of the third period as the Penguins began advancing the puck out of their defensive zone.
Kozari hit his head on the ice and remained down for several minutes while he was attended to by medical personnel before they removed him from the ice. He could move his arms and hands.
The NHL said Kozari was taken to a hospital as a precaution and was “conscious and alert, has the use of all 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 lay there for several minutes while he was treated
The official 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 match.
“That was hard to watch,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. ‘During that break I went into the dressing room.
“Of course (Fleury) was a bit shocked. It was just one of those plays that was a bit of a freak accident. But hopefully both boys will be fine.”
The Penguins moved into a playoff spot with the win after Michael Bunting tied the game with 5:28 to go 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 goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves in his eighth straight start.
Pittsburgh recorded its fourth straight win and improved to 6-0-2 in its last eight games overall. It is 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 spot in the playoffs on Friday when Philadelphia, Washington and Detroit lost in regulation, had won 10 of their previous 12.