NHL Player Safety handed the Florida Panthers’ Niko Mikkola a $5,000 fine after the brouhaha that ended Sunday’s matinee against the Montreal Canadiens.
With two seconds left in the Panthers’ 4-2 loss to the Canadiens, and with the Montreal players turning around to skate toward their goaltender, Mikkola unloaded a slapshot from the defensive zone.
The puck rose high, prompting Canadiens defenseman David Savard to duck to avoid it.
Niko Mikkola has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for unsportsmanlike conduct during the Panthers' loss to the Canadienspic.twitter.com/b3X7OinWRC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 31, 2025
The Habs players skated over to confront Mikkola, leading to a skirmish after time expired. Jayden Struble, Christian Dvorak, Brendan Gallagher and Savard all tried to get at Mikkola as Panthers players and officials tried to separate them.
After linesman Julien Fournier brought Mikkola to the Panthers bench, the defenseman and Struble continued to shout at each other before heading to the dressing room.
Mikkola received a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct and a 10-minute misconduct. The $5,000 fine, which is the highest the collective bargaining allows without a hearing, goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Are The Florida Panthers In Danger Of A Playoff Upset?The Florida Panthers have earned their reputation as one of the NHL’s best teams, getting to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of the past three seasons, making it to the Cup final in each of the past two seasons, and of course, winning their first Cup in franchise history last season. And for much of this year, the Panthers have been at or near the top of the Atlantic Division. Obviously, there’s a whole lot to like about this Florida team.
Both teams face each other again in Montreal on Tuesday. They’ve played each other three times already this season, with the lower-ranked Canadiens winning in regulation every time and outscoring Florida by a combined total of 11-3.
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