Rangers K'Andre Miller Suspended for 3 Games After Spitting on Kings' Drew Doughty

The NHL announced Tuesday that New York Rangers defenseman K'Andre Miller has been suspended three games for unsportsmanlike conduct during Sunday's 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

In the midst of an on-ice altercation, Miller spit in the direction of Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, and it appeared to hit him in the face:

Miller was given a match penalty for the incident, resulting in a game misconduct.

In a subsequent statement on Twitter, Miller insisted the spitting was "completely accidental" and thanked Doughty for allowing him to apologize and explain himself after the game.

Per ESPN's Kristen Shilton, Doughty told reporters he was "shocked" by the incident, adding:

"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. But 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. ... I was pretty pissed."

Miller, 23, is in the midst of his third season with the Rangers after going 22nd overall in the 2018 NHL draft.

Last season, Miller appeared in all 82 regular-season games and posted 20 points and a career-best plus-23 rating for a Rangers team that made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

So far this season, Miller has six goals and 24 assists for a career-high 30 points in 60 games. He also has a plus-1 rating, 130 hits, 74 blocked shots and is averaging a career-high 21:56 time on ice per game.

While Miller is out of action, New York's existing defense corps of Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, Niko Mikkola, Ben Harpur and Braden Schneider will be tasked with stepping up.

Ryan Lindgren could step back into the lineup as well if he is healthy enough to return from injury, but if not, the Rangers will likely have to recall a blueliner from the AHL.