Zack Kassian might be getting another call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety in the near future.

The Edmonton Oilers forward kicked Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak while lying on the ice late in the first period Thursday night.

Kassian, who wasn't penalized, tried to explain himself postgame.

"(On) that play, he was holding my leg and it was just reactionary," he told Sportsnet's Gene Principe. "I just tried to get loose. I was laying there awhile and I was trying to get my leg out and get moving."

Meanwhile, Cernak gave his side of the story.

"I think he was a little bit mad," the Lightning blue-liner told reporters, including The Athletic's Joe Smith. "I asked him what was wrong with him, because that’s not the right play. (That's not) what to do on the ice. He didn’t say (anything). So I don’t know. Lucky it wasn’t higher."

Kassian was suspended two games in January for his role in an altercation with Calgary Flames winger Matthew Tkachuk.

The 29-year-old received his ban exactly a month prior to Thursday's incident after pummeling Tkachuk during their game on Jan. 11.

Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.