On Monday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola has been fined $5,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct during Sunday night’s game against the Montreal Canadiens.

The incident happened in the dying seconds of the game. The Canadiens were on their way to a 4-2 win in Sunrise, with Mikkola holding the puck in his own zone. As the clock was about to hit zero, the Finnish blueliner decided to take a slap shot down the ice, almost hitting a few Habs players.

That clearly angered the players on the ice, as just about every guy on the ice for Montreal went after Mikkola. No real fight happened, but it was clear the act wasn’t welcomed by the victorious team.

Mikkola was given a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and a misconduct, even though the final horn had gone.

The fine is the maximum allowable under the current collective bargaining agreement. The money goes directly to the Player Assistance Fund.

This is the first time in Mikkola’s seven-year career that he has faced supplemental discipline in his NHL career. In his first season with the Panthers in 2023-24, he set a career high with 69 penalty minutes. Though he has missed a few games due to injury this season, the 28-year-old has 62 PIMs in 68 games after last night’s kerfuffle.

This year, Mikkola has scored five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 68 games, career bests in each offensive category. In 320 career NHL appearances, he has notched 13 goals and 48 assists for 61 points. He posted four points in 24 games as the Panthers went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Florida (44-26-3) is tied for second in the Atlantic Division with the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, three points back of the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs.