The NHL fined Arizona Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz $5,000 for boarding San Jose Sharks defenseman Radim Simek in a game on Friday.
Schmaltz, 25, was assessed a minor penalty for boarding for the hit, which occurred at the 10:40 mark of the third period on in the Coyotes’ 5-2 win.
Simek left the game after the hit and his status for Saturday’s rematch in Glendale, Ariz., is unclear.
“I didn’t like the hit,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said Saturday. “I’m glad the league stepped up there. I think that it was more of a hit but a push, and when a guy is in a vulnerable position. Now we have a player today who may not play tonight, who’s pretty stiff after that. I think that’s a dangerous, dangerous play.”
Proceeds of the fine, which is the most allowed under the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, will go toward the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Schmaltz, who has been assessed 12 penalty minutes this season, has eight goals and 11 assists in 34 games.
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–Field Level Media