Canadiens' Brendan Gallagher fined for apparent sucker punch of Rangers' Barclay Goodrow
In the final minute of play of Tuesday's game between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers that the Rangers won 3-2, Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher appeared to deliver a sucker punch directly to the face of Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow.
Some may have expected Gallagher to receive at least a short suspension, but the NHL Department of Player Safety instead announced Wednesday he's been fined only $2,500 for "roughing" Goodrow.
That fine money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
"There was some acting going on there. A lot of players have too much pride to act like that," Gallagher said Wednesday about his fine and about Goodrow's alleged antics immediately following the incident, per Sportsnet.
As Arpon Basu noted for The Athletic, the NHL Department of Player Safety could've hit Gallagher with a maximum fine of $5,000, which suggests the league also didn't completely buy what Goodrow attempted to sell Tuesday night.
The Canadiens fell to 4-12-2 on the campaign via this latest defeat, so it's understandable Gallagher and his teammates may get easily frustrated during games this fall.
New York, meanwhile, recently lost forward Sammy Blais to a torn ACL in his right knee for at least the rest of the regular season.
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