The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced on Saturday morning that Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron was fined $2,000 for his hit on Vancouver Canucks goaltender Casey DeSmith behind the net during Game 3 of their playoff series on Friday in Nashville.
DeSmith is filling in for the injured Thatcher Demko as Vancouver’s starting goaltender, so it’s understandable that the league wanted to address any goalie-related issues in this series proactively.
The incident happened at 12:25 of the first period, resulting in McCarron receiving a minor penalty for goaltender interference. Vancouver’s J.T. Miller scored on the subsequent power play. Despite the collision, DeSmith appeared unaffected and went on to make 29 saves in Vancouver’s 2-1 victory. The Canucks now lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 scheduled for tomorrow in Nashville.
McCarron commented after the game, saying, “It’s a tough penalty, man. I was trying to go stick on puck. Obviously not trying to hit the goalie but that’s what ended up happening. It wasn’t like I lost my cool or anything. It’s an unfortunate play. It stung them scoring on the power play. Got to shake it off.”
However, Canucks coach Rick Tocchet disagreed, stating on Saturday that he didn’t like McCarron’s movement just before the contact. “Instead of going straight, he did that one thing at the end. That separates from ‘wow it’s accidental’ to it wasn’t was accidental,” Tocchet said. “He put his shoulder into Casey.”
The fine imposed on McCarron will be directed to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund, according to the press release.
Michael McCarron runs over Casey DeSmith behind the Vancouver net.
DeSmith looks no worse for the wear.#Canucks | #Preds
📽️: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/v1p1CfaQLe— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 27, 2024
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