Islanders’ Emil Heineman ejected for a knee-on-knee hit that injured Oilers’ Isaac Howard

NEW YORK (AP) — Emil Heineman was ejected after the New York Islanders forward injured Edmonton’s Isaac Howard with a knee-on-knee hit Saturday, though the Oilers had a positive report after their 4-0 victory.

“We don’t think Howard it’s as serious as it looked,” coach Mike Babcock said. “We’re hoping for a real good kind of recovery day for him tomorrow, and then if he doesn’t (feel better), then we’ll get on with the medical part of looking into it. But they think it’s favorable.”

Heineman’s outstretched left knee made contact with Howard’s just over two minutes in. Howard remained on the ice in pain and, after getting visited by a trainer, did not put any weight on his left leg as he was helped off to the bench and down the tunnel.

Howard did not return. He was limping slightly as he walked out of the visiting locker room. He figures to be out Sunday at the Rangers.

“It’s tough to see, especially because he’s been playing so well and he started to get some swagger and confidence,” teammate Ryan Shea said. “Hopefully he’s back, and when he is, good things happen when he’s on the ice.”

Officials assessed a 5-minute major penalty for kneeing, reviewed the play on video and upheld that call with a game misconduct for Heineman, who threw his stick as he exited. Babcock said there was no doubt about that decision, while Islanders counterpart Peter DeBoer expressed surprise over it being a major penalty.

“It’s hard to see a play like that,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton’s longest-tenured player who scored twice. “I’m sure (the NHL’s Department of Player Safety will) look at it. But I thought they did a good job of going back and figuring out that it was a major. Regardless, you don’t want to see a guy go down like that.”

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