NHL Player Safety comes down on Malkin and Zadorov.

A controversial incident on Friday night has resulted in disciplinary action against both Evgeni Malkin and Nikita Zadorov.

NHL Player Safety comes down on Malkin and Zadorov.

A controversial incident on Friday night has resulted in supplemental discipline being issued against a pair of players.

On Friday night, there was a controversial incident in the final seconds of the first period between the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins. Initially the officials on the ice called a penalty against Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin for swinging his stick at the Bruins bench, but there was more than meets the eye to this incident.

While it was true that Malkin had swung his stick at the Bruins bench, there had been provocation from the bench itself when Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov poked and shoved Malkin with his stick from the bench. The National Hockey League would review the penalty call on the play which would in turn result in both Malkin and Zadorov heading to the penalty box for a bit of a break from the game.

It seems however that the NHL feels both players deserved to be admonished for their actions on Friday night beyond a mere penalty, and as a result both men will be taking a hit to their respective wallets today.

The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has announced that Zadorov will face a $5,000 fine, the maximum allowable amount under the current rules of the collective bargaining agreement, for what it has described as “unsportsmanlike conduct.”

Additionally Malkin has also been slapped with a $5,000 fine in spite of the fact that he was provoked, with Malkin being penalized under the “slashing” rule. It may be the fact that Malkin struck an innocent target with his stick that got Malkin in trouble with the Penguins forward making contact with Mason Lohrei of the Bruins rather than Zadorov himself.

Both men will now be considered repeat offenders should they find themselves in the crosshairs of NHL Player Safety again during the next 18 months, which is likely a more significant punishment than the fines themselves for both of these players.

If you missed the incident last night you can check out the replay in the short clip below: