Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn and Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj were both fined following infractions made during Montreal’s 6-2 win over Buffalo in Sunday’s Game 3, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on Monday.
Malenstyn was fined $3,515.63 for goaltender interference against Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes while Xhekaj was docked $3,385.42 for roughing against Sabres forward Sam Carrick.
Both fines were the maximum allowable under the NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement.
Malenstyn’s incident happened midway through the second period when he crashed Dobes’ net as the puck slipped through the Canadiens’ crease. Montreal was leading 3-1 at the time of the incident.
The play led to a skirmish as the net came off its mooring with Dobes shaken up in the aftermath.
Malenstyn was assessed a two-minute penalty for goaltender interference while Sabres forward Jordan Greenway and Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc were each handed roughing penalties for the skirmish.
Xhekaj’s infraction occurred as the buzzer sounded at the end of the game when he punched Carrick in the face as the two teams were battling for control of the puck in the corner.
Both Xhekaj and Carrick were assessed two-minute minors for roughing with no time left on the clock.
The Canadiens hold a 2-1 series advantage over the Sabres with Game 4 set to take place on Tuesday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
