Department of Player Safety announced today fine to Ben Chiarot for Headbutting:
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Just a few, short days ago the NHL's DoPS suspended EDM's Darnell Nurse for the very same act. However, I think this was a far less egregious offense than Nurse's. Not only was the forcefullness much less here than it was there, Chiarot went straight visor-to-visor hardly adjusting Colton's helmet.
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Here is Darnell Nurse's, which resulted in a one-game ban, for comparison:
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Pretty significant difference. However, amidst the league's crusade to mitigate head injuries it's clear they're taking a zero tolerance policy. Well, if you don't count the number of undisciplined hits resulting in head injuries, that is.
Both players received matching cross-checking minors on the play, and the Panthers were simply outclassed by the hardened Lightning team. A $5,000 fine, the maximum allowable as per the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2020, seems sufficient in this case.
