- Xhekaj fined $3,385.42 for roughing Sam Carrick in the dying seconds of Game 3
- Malenstyn fined $3,515.63 for goalie interference on Jakub Dobes
- Read below for the videos and full breakdown of both Game 3 incidents
Player Safety came down on both sides of the Canadiens-Sabres scrap Monday.
Montreal defenseman Arber Xhekaj was fined $3,385.42, the maximum allowed under the CBA, for roughing Buffalo’s Sam Carrick in the dying seconds of Game 3. Buffalo forward Beck Malenstyn was hit with a $3,515.63 fine, also the max, for crashing into Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes earlier in the same game. Neither player was suspended.
Sunday night in Montreal got ugly fast. The Habs eventually skated to a 6-2 win to take a 2-1 series lead, but two of the night’s nastier moments earned phone calls from the league office.
Xhekaj’s punch came at 19:56 of the third with the game long decided. He and Carrick tangled in a post-whistle scrum and Xhekaj loaded up a right hand into Carrick’s chin while the Sabres veteran was tied up. Carrick crashed to the ice and both took matching roughing minors.
Watch the punch video:
Here’s the league’s ruling on it:
Malenstyn’s hit landed earlier, at 11:30 of the second. He came in at full speed and barreled into Dobes at the crease, knocking the net off its moorings and setting off another brawl. Montreal cashed the resulting power play through Juraj Slafkovsky, and the Habs goalie stayed in the game.
Catch the video of Malenstyn’s run on Dobes:
And the league’s call on the goalie interference:
Together the fines clear just shy of $7,000, all of it going to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Game 4 is Tuesday night in Montreal, with Dobes, who has been the story of the round so far, set to start in goal once again.
