The Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers delivered nonstop entertainment Thursday night, combining for an NHL-record 10 goals in the first period and 13 total as the Panthers emerged a 9-4 victor. Between all the pucks flying past goaltenders, though, some chippy play occurred.
On Friday morning, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Habs captain Nick Suzuki has been fined $2,500 for cross-checking Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell. The incident occurred at 17:09 of the third period, and Suzuki was handed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for the cross-check.
Suzuki and Lundell were trading shoves near the benches when Suzuki’s stick appeared to rise up and catch Lundell high.
Given the play came with less than three minutes to go in a game that was out of reach for Montreal, it isn’t a huge surprise to see it pop up on the DOPS radar. The narrative of a game often factors in to decisions on supplemental discipline.
Suzuki didn’t seem to believe he did anything wrong after the game, claiming the cross-check was the result of him defending himself from Lundell.
“I got him on the top of the helmet, it wasn’t under his visor,” he told reporters after Thursday’s game. “He kind of took a weird run at me, I gave him a shot, a little scrum…I don’t think I did anything that bad – probably the refs just trying to control the game and call a penalty.”
Suzuki, 23, has 21 goals and a team-best 51 points through 69 games in his first season wearing the C. His scoring numbers have dried up without sniper and regular linemate Cole Caufield, who was lost for the season with a shoulder injury in early January. Suzuki has just five goals and 14 points in 23 games without Caufield. Before the injury, Suzuki had 16 goals and 37 points in 46 games.
