NEW YORK — New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal was fined $2,500 for unsportsmanlike conduct for making contact with a player on the ice while on the bench during Sunday night’s loss at Toronto.
The NHL’s department of player safety announced the supplemental discipline Monday.
While sitting on the bench with about four minutes left in the third period, Barzal tugged at the jersey of Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner and held on to him for a couple of seconds to obstruct him from following the play.
Marner on “Hockey Night in Canada” called it a first and said: “Hopefully he gets fined for that. That would be pretty great.”
“Me and him have played a lot against each other, played with each other a couple times,” Marner said after the game. “He’s a good friend of mine. He’s a competitor out there. It’s fun to watch, fun to play against him. It’s a pretty funny moment.”
Marner has been on an offensive run of late for the Maple Leafs, and at times has been known to rile up the competition. He has 34 goals and 94 points this season, good for second on the Maple Leafs, and has scored four goals in the past three games. In Sunday’s win, he played on Toronto’s top line as the NHL’s leading goal scorer, Auston Matthews, sat out with an undisclosed injury.
The Islanders, who have struggled this season after back-to-back appearances in the NHL semifinals, were officially eliminated from playoff contention in the 4-2 loss.
It’s Barzal’s third career fine in the NHL and first this season. He was fined $2,000 for diving/embellishment in April 2021 and $5,000 two months later for cross-checking Tampa Bay defenseman Jan Rutta.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.