The incident occurred during Saturday afternoon's game between Edmonton and Winnipeg. Vesalainen was skating towards the Oilers net, trying to get open to receive a pass, when Niemelainen cross-checks him in the face. Niemelainen was not assessed a penalty on the play.
Niemelainen, a native of Kuopio (Finland) has split his time this season between the Oilers and their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. In 12 games with the Oilers, he has no points, while in 23 games with Bakersfield, the 23-year-old has tallied seven points.
markus niemelainen, once again, showing no regard for human life. pic.twitter.com/qJiHd1nfo1— zach laing (@zjlaing) February 19, 2022
Edmonton's Markus Niemelainen has been fined $2,043.75, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking Winnipeg's Kristian Vesalainen.— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) February 20, 2022
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APRIL 27, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Alex Bump | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Connor Dewar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Elmer Soderblom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sidney Crosby | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Blake Lizotte | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Anthony Mantha | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Parker Wotherspoon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noel Acciari | - | - | - | |
| Emil Andrae | - | - | - | |
| Denver Barkey | - | - | - | |
| Yegor Chinakhov | - | - | - | |
| Sean Couturier | - | - | - | |
| Jamie Drysdale | - | - | - | |
| Christian Dvorak | - | - | - | |
| Tyson Foerster | - | - | - | |
| Samuel Girard | - | - | - | |
| Luke Glendening | - | - | - | |
| Garnet Hathaway | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||