Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn has been fined $3,515.63 for steamrolling Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes.
The hit came at 11:30 of the second period when the two teams met in Game 3 of their second-round series in Montreal on Sunday.
Malenstyn drove towards the Canadiens’ net on the rush when he as bumped by forward Zach Bolduc. The Sabres forward crashed hard into Dobes, sending him to the ice and knocking the net off its moorings.
A scrum erupted after the hit, with Bolduc and Buffalo’s Jordan Greenway picking up matching minors for roughing. Malenstyn was issued a minor penalty for goaltender interference.
Dobes as not injured on the play and as able to remain in the game.
Malenstyn’s fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement without a formal hearing. Fines are capped at 50% of one day’s salary, with a maximum of $5,000 without a hearing. If a hearing takes place, the league can issue a fine up to $10,000. Players do not receive a salary during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 – with the two teams combining for 80 penalty minutes – to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series. Officials for the games were referees Garrett Rank (#7) and Kyle Rehman (#10) with linespersons Devin Berg (#87) and Ryan Daisy (#81).
