New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller has been suspended three games for spitting on Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings. After reviewing the incident, NHL Player Safety announced a three-game suspension for Miller on Tuesday.
Miller was ejected from Sunday's win over the Kings after he spat on Doughty and received a game misconduct in the first period.
NY Rangers’ K'Andre Miller has been suspended for three games for unsportsmanlike conduct on Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) February 28, 2023
Following the game, Miller posted an apology on social media in which he claimed that spitting on Doughty was accidental.
"I have all the respect in the world for Drew Doughty, and what happened was completely accidental," Miller wrote. "I would never intend to do something like that on purpose. It goes against everything I am as a person and player. I felt awful about it, and I am thankful Drew gave me the opportunity to apologize and explain myself in person after the game."
In his postgame press conference, Doughty told reporters that he was surprised by what happened, but he wasn't sure whether Miller meant to do it.
"I was just shocked, obviously," Doughty told the media. "I don't even know if I said anything to him after, but I just immediately went to the ref to try to get the penalty.
"You don't want to see things like that in this game. I don't know if I've ever seen that. I'm sure it has happened, but not that I've seen. It's unfortunate and whether or not he meant to do it, I have no idea. It's a pretty big loogie on my face, so I was pretty pissed."
Miller will now have to miss games against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, and Boston Bruins while he serves his suspension.
In that stretch, the Rangers may have to play shorthanded on the blue line. In the process of acquiring Patrick Kane from the Chicago Blackhawks, the Rangers haven't left themselves with much flexibility regarding the salary cap and might have issues with calling up extra help if Ryan Lindgren is still unable to play due to injury.
