Nick Cousins fined for shooting pucks at Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz; Senators fined $25K

The National Hockey League (NHL) announced Friday that it has fined the Ottawa Senators $25,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct during warm-ups prior to Game 3 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Darren Dreger of TSN first reported Friday morning, the NHL’s head office looked into “some shenanigans” in the warmup before the Leafs scored a 3-2 overtime victory over the Senators in Game 3 on Thursday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Additionally, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety has fined Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins $2,083.33, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), for unsportsmanlike conduct during Thursday’s warm-ups.

Videos were showcased online of Cousins shooting a puck down the ice at Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz during the warmup.

After Game 3, Stolarz said he’d made a pre-game deal with the officiating crew.

“Watch my back, and I’ll behave,” he said.

“Well, it’s an active investigation and I don’t know if I should be commenting on it,” Senators head coach Travis Green said, tongue-in-cheek. “I have people who have advised me maybe not to comment on it.

“I’m kidding. Yeah, I saw the video. Nick Cousins and Stolarz have played together. He’s either trying to laugh at him or make a joke, or get him off his game. It’s what it is.”

I don’t think it’s anything,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “They played together last year. I don’t know a lot about it. The league will handle that.”

Toronto currently holds a 3-0 series lead after getting its second overtime victory on Thursday night, pushing the Senators to the brink of elimination. Game 4 is set to go on Saturday night in Ottawa.