NASHVILLE - Former Predators defenseman Cody Franson gingerly got up off the ice in front of the Toronto Maple Leafs bench with the help of a trainer late in the third period of Thursday's game.
Franson, a Maple Leafs defenseman had just been boarded by Predators forward Mike Fisher into the glass turnbuckle near the end of the bench, and a pool of blood rested where Franson's head was pasted on the ice. Fisher pushed Franson from behind into the rounded piece of glass.
According to Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, Franson, who played with Nashville for two years, received just a cut on his nose from his visor.
Fisher called it a "hockey play" and said there was no intent to hurt Franson, his former teammate during the 2010-11 season.
Fisher also believed he shouldn't have received a five-minute major for boarding and didn't think the play merited a suspension.
"First of all, hopefully he's OK. I felt bad he got hurt, but it was just a play where we kind of went into the glass," Fisher said. "There was obviously no intent at all and very surprised to get a penalty. I didn't feel like it was a penalty. It cost the team, which is unfortunate. Obviously I was pretty fired up after they called it."
The NHL said Friday that no hearing has been scheduled.
The Predators were down 2-0 to Toronto at the time of the penalty (6:42 left in the third), and the Maple Leafs scored twice on the ensuing power play to put the game away.
"He hit his head on the rounded glass and it was actually his visor that cut his nose," Carlyle said, "It came down and cut him on the bridge of the nose and, bloody nose, so that was all of the information that we got."
Jones struggles: Predators rookie defenseman Seth Jones looked a little more like a first-year player Thursday.
He was a minus-2 and his pair with captain Shea Weber was on the ice for Toronto's two even-strength goals. Jones still led all players with 26:29 of ice-time.
Josh Cooper writes for The (Nashville) Predators, a Gannett property