New Jersey Devils forward Tomáš Tatar has been fined $5K for his high stick infraction on Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho. NHL Player Safety tweeted the news on their official Twitter page early on Monday morning. The fine was the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.
The high-sticking incident occurred in the first period of the Devils’ 8-4 Game 3 victory and resulted in a two-minute minor penalty for the 32-year-old. The play looked ugly but, thankfully, didn’t result in any serious injuries. Tatar swung his stick wildly at the back of Aho’s head after taking a cross-check in the lower back from the Finnish forward. Aho’s cross-check swung Tatar around and as the Devils’ forward was spinning, he hit Aho in the back of the head with his stick. Aho was okay and took two minor penalties of his own later in the game. The stick swing drew a crowd of Hurricanes players who were not happy with the Slovak player.
Tatar is not known for his aggressiveness, having only recorded over 30 PIM four times in his 12-year NHL career. It appears he was frustrated by a very routine cross-check from Aho and had it boil over. Tatar has been a non-factor in the series thus far, going pointless in three games with a -5 against the Devils. He has struggled throughout this year’s playoffs with just a single goal in ten games, this comes on the heels of a solid season that saw him put up 48 points in 82 games.
The Hurricanes lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 going Tuesday night in New Jersey. The Devils looked lifeless in the first two games but exploded yesterday for eight goals. It will be interesting to see if they can turn the series into a best-of-three heading back to Raleigh.
What does Aho gets for breaking his stick while cross checking Jack Hughes?
A stronger stick and a high five! LOL
A trip to the dentist. Aho knocked his tooth out also in the fight.