Here’s what the NHL fined the Canes’ Jordan Staal for tripping Preds’ Luke Kunin
Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal has been fined $5,000 by the NHL for a “dangerous trip” on Luke Kunin of the Nashville Predators, the league said Saturday.
The penalty is the maximum fine allowed under the league’s CBA, the NHL Department of Player Safety said.
Staal and Kunin tangled in the Carolina zone during Game 3 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, with Staal using his right leg to trip Kunin. The tripping penalty was called at 14:05 of the second period, allowing the Preds a 5-on-3 power play that they converted into their first power-play goal of the series.
The Predators won the game 5-4 in double overtime. Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed frustration about the officiating after the game, saying his team was battling hard but adding, “We’re fighting the refs.”
Brind’Amour said Saturday that he was not criticizing the officiating or trying to send a “message” to the referees
“I’m just telling you what happened from our point of view,” he said “I’m not blaming anybody. I’m just saying this is what has gone on. These are the facts. I’m not being critical, I’m just saying it happened and that it didn’t seem right to me. It’s not critical. “
Asked about Staal’s fine, Brind’Amour said: “I don’t handle any of that stuff. It seems weird he would get a maximum fine for that when I’ve seen a lot worse stuff go on here. I don’t know how they come up with all that.”
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Here’s what the NHL fined the Canes’ Jordan Staal for tripping Preds’ Luke Kunin."
