The NHL Department of Player Safety assessed a $5,000 fine to New Jersey Devils forward Evan Rodrigues for a high-sticking incident involving Vancouver Canucks centre Marco Rossi.
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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Sunday that it assessed a $5,000 fine to New Jersey Devils forward Evan Rodrigues for a high-sticking infraction he committed Saturday night.
The incident happened before a face-off at centre ice late in the second period of the Devils’ interconference game against the Vancouver Canucks. The announcement says Rodrigues reacted to a gloved shove from Canucks centre Marco Rossi by raising his stick and striking Rossi in the throat and face area.
Rodrigues was assessed a double minor penalty for high-sticking on the play, and the league said it was the first incident in his career that resulted in supplemental discipline.
The fine comes as Rodrigues begins his first season with the Devils after being acquired over the summer as part of the return in the deal that sent veteran goalie Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers. Rodrigues is signed to a four-year contract with a $3.075 million salary-cap hit, and the announcement says he is playing the final season of that agreement.
The 33-year-old is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he does not sign an extension with New Jersey. Through his first four games with the Devils, Rodrigues has been held off the scoresheet while registering a minus-4 rating over an average of 15:48 of time on ice per game.
In the same matchup, New Jersey defeated Vancouver 4-1 at home on Saturday, improving its record to 2-2-0 on the young season. Vancouver fell to 2-4-0 with the loss, which was its third straight defeat.
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