Panthers' Mikkola Receives Fine For Late-Game Slapshot Against The Canadiens

NHL Player
Safety handed the Florida Panthers’ Niko Mikkola a $5,000 fine after the
brouhaha that ended Sunday’s matinee against the Montreal Canadiens.

With two
seconds left in the Panthers’ 4-2 loss to the Canadiens, and with the Montreal
players turning around to skate toward their goaltender, Mikkola unloaded a
slapshot from the defensive zone.

The puck
rose high, prompting Canadiens defenseman David Savard to duck to avoid it.

The Habs
players skated over to confront Mikkola, leading to a skirmish after time
expired. Jayden Struble, Christian Dvorak, Brendan Gallagher and Savard all tried
to get at Mikkola as Panthers players and officials tried to separate them.

After
linesman Julien Fournier brought Mikkola to the Panthers bench, the defenseman and
Struble continued to shout at each other before heading to the dressing room.

Mikkola
received a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and a 10-minute
misconduct. The $5,000 fine, which is the highest the collective bargaining allows without a hearing, goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

Are The Florida Panthers In Danger Of A Playoff Upset?The Florida Panthers have earned their reputation as one of the NHL’s best teams, getting to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the past three seasons, making it to the Cup final in each of the past two seasons, and of course, winning their first Cup in franchise history last season. And for much of this year, the Panthers have been at or near the top of the Atlantic Division. Obviously, there’s a whole lot to like about this Florida team.

Both teams
face each other again in Montreal on Tuesday. They’ve played each other three
times already this season, with the lower-ranked Canadiens winning in
regulation every time and outscoring Florida by a combined total of 11-3.

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