Utah’s Jack McBain fined for high-sticking Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher

Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain has been fined $4,166.67, the maximum allowable amount under the collective bargaining agreement, for high-sticking Montreal Canadiens right winger Brendan Gallagher, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.

The incident occured in Tuesday’s contest between Utah and the Canadiens in Salt Lake City, coming 21 seconds into the middle frame. McBain was assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play. By night’s end, McBain was held pointless and finished the game with three hits, while Gallagher ultimately registered three shots and a minus-one rating en route to a 5-3 road victory for the Canadiens.

With the win, the Canadiens evened their season series with Utah at one win apiece after Utah picked up a 3-2 overtime decision in Montreal in late November.

On the season, McBain has made 43 appearances with Utah in which he has tallied 10 goals and five assists for 15 points with a team-leading 49 penalty minutes. The 24-year-old Toronto native is in his fourth year with the squad, counting three campaigns with the former Arizona Coyotes, where through 202 career contests he has registered 32 goals and 38 assists for 70 points. Per PuckPedia, McBain carries an average annual value just shy of $1.6 million and can become a restricted free agent in the offseason.

For Gallagher, the veteran forward is skating in his 13th season with the Canadiens where through 43 showings in 2024-25 he has collected 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points alongside 19 penalty minutes. Gallagher wrapped up last season with 31 points in 77 outings. A fifth-round selection from the 2010 NHL Draft, Gallagher’s time in Montreal has totaled 795 NHL games in which he has notched 228 goals and 215 assists for 443 points with 535 penalty minutes. The 32-year-old Edmonton product is signed through 2026-27 to a $6.5-million annual average value, according to PuckPedia.