Nikita Zadorov was fined $5,000 after cross-checking rasmus dahlin in Game 4 of the Bruins-Sabres first-round series. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the maximum allowable penalty on Monday, and the money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
Zadorov and Dahlin at center ice
The play came at 16:43 of the third period on Sunday in Boston, with Buffalo already leading 6-0. Zadorov skated up to Dahlin at center ice after an offsides call, gave him a cross-check from behind and swung at him before referees stepped in.
He was hit with a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct on the same play. Roughing penalties were handed out to both sides in the ensuing scrum, and it was Zadorov’s second penalty of the game after a holding call in the second period.
Buffalo’s series edge
Buffalo finished the game with a 6-1 win and carried a 3-1 lead in the series. The fine matched the maximum allowed under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, putting the financial penalty at the top end of what league discipline could impose for the incident.
Game 5 was scheduled for Tuesday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, with the Bruins facing the immediate pressure of playing out the series after the Sabres moved one win from advancing. Zadorov’s penalty and fine left Boston dealing with the cost of a late-game cross-check that came in a playoff game already tilted heavily in Buffalo’s favor.
