A trio of players have been fined the maximum amount allowable for their roles in extracurricular activities during night one of the NHL playoffs.
Forwards Corey Perry and Pat Maroon of the Tampa Bay Lightning were levied $2,500 fines, while Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon was fined $5,000.
The fines for Perry and Maroon were as a result of a skirmish between the Bolts and Toronto Maple Leafs towards the end of game one. The Leafs were already up 5-0 and with 10 minutes to go, forward Wayne Simmonds laid a big hit along the board on Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta.
Both Perry and Maroon took exception, egging on Simmonds to fight, before things escalated in the corner from there. Both fines, the NHL department of player safety said, were for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Spurgeon, meanwhile, saw his fine come for cross-checking. In the final minutes of game one, a game the Wild lost 4-0, Spurgeon and Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich collided battling for a puck.
When the two hit the ice, Spurgeon came down with a cross-check on the back of Buchnevich’s ankles. He was issued a two-minute minor for cross-checking on the play.
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