Islanders defender Logan Stanley has been fined the maximum $3,865.98 for slashing Devils forward Nico Hischier, NHL News reports.
The fine lands one day after New Jersey beat New York 5-4 in overtime on Saturday. The Devils are back on the ice tonight in Toronto.
NHL News noted that the amount is the maximum allowable under the CBA.
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Hischier is the name that makes this one travel. He is 27, the first overall pick in 2017, and he has 11 points in 17 games this season, four of them power-play goals.
He was in the Devils' lineup Saturday and finished with an assist and six shots on goal over 19:31. Listed injury status: none.
Stanley is a 6'7, 230-pound defenseman who has built his game around size. He has 34 penalty minutes in 16 games this season, and he picked up four more in Saturday's loss.
The Islanders can't absorb much more of that. They sit 7-6-3, fifth in the Metropolitan Division, with a goal differential of -2 and three straight losses on the board.
Earlier this month, we reported that the Islanders signed Ben Hutton to a professional tryout. Defense depth is something to watch on Long Island right now.
Does a maximum fine actually change anything?
For the player, not much. A fine that tops out at $3,865.98 is the ceiling of what the league can take without a suspension, and a ceiling that low will never change how a 6'7 defenseman plays along the boards.
The punishment that stings is the one that costs a team a body. The post reports a fine and nothing else, so Stanley stays available for an Islanders group that can't afford to lose a blue-liner.
Hischier's Devils are 12-5-0 and have won four straight, and they get a chance to extend that tonight in Toronto. Stanley and the Islanders head to San Jose on Monday looking to stop a three-game slide.
Quick hits
FLORIDA PANTHERS: Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves with Nikita Zadorov right at the start of the Panthers-Bruins game at TD Garden, Conor Ryan reports. No warm-up needed in Boston.
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CALGARY FLAMES: Jackie Spiegel reports that Flyers goalie Dan Vladař is expected to start tonight in Calgary. He faces his old team, and that is a story on its own.
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OTTAWA SENATORS: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators sent Jonas Johansson down to Belleville. Linus Ullmark appears ready for Tuesday, so the crease is about to get crowded again.
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DETROIT RED WINGS: The Red Wings assigned Nate Danielson, Michal Postava and John Leonard to the Grand Rapids Griffins, the team announced this morning. Three moves ahead of the game against St. Louis.
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INJURY: Brian Hedger reports Denton Mateychuk left Blue Jackets practice early after he was hit by a puck during a drill. Columbus will want an update soon.
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Is a maximum fine of $3,865.98 a strong enough punishment for slashing a star like Nico Hischier?
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