NHL fans were upset with Andres Lee after the New York Islanders center was handed a game misconduct for a kneeing incident involving Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils.
The incident occurred during Sunday's game, resulting in Anders Lee being penalized for 20 minutes and ejected from the match, which ended in a 4-0 defeat for the Islanders.
The outcry from fans was palpable, with many taking to X (Formerly Twitter) to voice their opinions on the matter.
Reacting to a video post shared by B/R Open Ice, one fan expressed a sentiment shared by several others, stating:
"Please suspend him he’s so bad at hockey and he’s a terrible captain."
"Awful call," one fan said.
Another fan weighed in on the issue, highlighting a previous incident involving Anders Lee earlier in the year, stating,
"Suspend him for the year. Repeat offender. Knee’d gavrikov earlier in the year no call."
Comparisons to other incidents within the league were also drawn by fans, with one individual noting a perceived inconsistency in officiating.
"Same thing happened to Marchand yesterday no call no penalty Marchand complained and he got a minor penalty."
Furthermore, fans expressed frustration with what they perceive as leniency in the league's approach to dangerous plays. One fan articulated this sentiment, stating,
"I don’t know why hits like this don’t catch a minimum 5 game suspension. It’s one of the easiest penalties to see."
Anders Lee and the Islanders, 4-0, lost to Devils
The New Jersey Devils secured a 4-0 victory against the New York Islanders, with Jack Hughes and Timo Meier leading the charge.
Hughes commented on their pivotal power-play goal early in the second period:
"It's always important to capitalize on the power play ... that kind of jumpstarted our period and we built off of it."
Meier, who scored during the power play, talked about his fight with Anders Lee:
"It was a dirty hit...I had to step in and let him know, that's it."
The Devils took advantage of the Islanders' blunders, scoring three times in the second period in just 5:34. Alexander Holtz and Chris Tierney helped the Devils take the lead, and Tierney sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the third period.
Despite a late-game push by the Islanders, the Devils maintained their lead, securing Kaapo Kahkonen's first shutout of the season. Devils coach Travis Green emphasized the need for resilience during the Islanders' timeout, urging his team to be quick to get to pucks and thwart any momentum shift.