A spirited game between the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks wasn’t without controversy.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on Tuesday that Colin Miller of the Dallas Stars was hit with a $5,000 fine for elbowing Canucks rookie Nils Aman.
Canucks defenseman Christian Wolanin was also charged $2,027.03 for slashing Stars center Ty Dellandrea. Both penalties are for the maximum amount allowable under the current CBA.
Despite the hefty fines, neither check was called on the ice.
The Canucks won the game 5-4 behind a dominant showing from new acquisition Anthony Beauvillier, who found the net twice before providing a slick assist on Andrei Kuzmenko’s overtime winner.
The win was goaltender Thatcher Demko’s first of the new year after his return from a lengthy stint on the injured reserve.
For Miller and the Stars, the loss to the lowly Canucks is a frustrating one. Dallas remains in first place in the Central Division through 60 games played, but they are just two points clear of an Avalanche squad that has played two fewer games and has won 6 contests in a row.
The Canucks, on the other hand, are playing for pride as the trade deadline approaches. Having traded captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders earlier in the season for a package that included Beauvillier, Vancouver is a selling team.
Brock Boeser and Luke Schenn could leave for contenders in the coming days, but speculation surrounding star center J.T. Miller has been curtailed by injury news.
Dallas will prepare for a massive tilt with Colorado next Saturday by playing the struggling Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks in the interim. The Stars are 3-3-4 over their last 10 and have not locked up home ice in the post-season. The Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets are still relevant in the Central.
Though the biggest Canucks news over the next week will be off the ice, they’ll try to remain in the win column against the Wild at home on Thursday.
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