Johnson, Taylor to Plead Case to the NHL Today

While the Kings took a rare day off, winger Matt Johnson and Dave Taylor, the team’s vice president and general manager, had no such respite.

The two were summoned by Colin Campbell, the NHL’s director of operations, to a New York hearing scheduled for 7 a.m. PST today.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Johnson, who has been called because of a punch to the back of Jeff Beukeboom’s head in a Thursday game against the Rangers at the Great Western Forum. “I’d really rather not talk about it right now.”

As a repeat offender, Johnson may face severe punishment, with speculation from the NHL Players Assn. that it could involve a suspension for as long as 10 games.

Johnson, the King enforcer, is expected to cite history, which includes a penalty on Beukeboom for tripping him earlier in the game, and a knee injury suffered by Ray Ferraro last season when he was hit by Beukeboom.

“What I did was probably wrong,” Johnson said. “But I felt I had to do something, and what I did--whether it was right or wrong--was because in the end, I have to protect my players.”