Neal Pionk slapped with max fine for Johansson hit during ugly Jets-Wild 4th period

Neal Pionk of the Winnipeg Jets has been fined $5,000, the maximum amount allowable under the CBA, for his cross-check on Minnesota Wild center Marcus Johansson, the league announced on Wednesday.

Winnipeg’s Neal Pionk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking against Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 12, 2023

Johansson had just recycled the puck up the boards in the offensive zone with a minute to go in the 3-1 Jets win before a late arriving Pionk drove his stick under the Swede’s pads and into his ribs. The defenseman was assessed a five-minute major to end his night.

Neal Pionk has been fined $5,000 for this cross-check on Marcus Johansson pic.twitter.com/DRIt6BCrVS

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 12, 2023

The timing of the hit, both in the game and in the season, incensed Wild coach Dean Evason, who had lost top center Joel Eriksson Ek on a week-to-week basis just days before.

“The cheap stuff right now with one game to go before the playoffs … it’s stupid,” Evason told the media. “If you want to fight … drop your gloves and fight, that’s what it’s there for. The cheap crap is not good.”

Fight the Wild did; seconds after the incident, Evason sicced Ryan Reaves, perhaps the NHL’s most feared player, on Winnipeg center Adam Lowry for a spirited tussle. 

Jets’ coach Rick Bowness was now the man who had an issue with time and place and seemed to indicate that he wanted to fight Evason. Much to the chagrin of (presumably) every hockey fan, nothing came of the exchange.

Johansson has been a revelation in his second stint in the Twin Cities. He has 6 goals and 18 points in 20 games and thankfully does not appear to be any worse for wear. 

For the Jets, the Connor Hellebuyck-anchored win locks up playoff hockey against either Las Vegas or Edmonton.

The Wild’s loss continues a so-so run for a team that seems to have gone cold at exactly the wrong time. Locked into the third seed in the Central Division, many of Minnesota’s best players will not travel to Nashville on Thursday.