Nikita Zadorov's wallet has taken a hit after sucker-punching Alex Vlasic.
The Boston Bruins defenceman has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement, for roughing the Chicago Blackhawks blueliner, the NHL's department of player safety announced Sunday.
The incident occurred in the second period of Saturday's game. A scrum broke out near centre ice, and while Vlasic was defenceless on the ice, Zadorov swung at him before being brought down by Ryan Donato and separated by officials.
Zadorov was handed a 10-minute misconduct for the punch and was ejected from the game, which Boston won 5-4 in overtime.
The 31-year-old leads the NHL in penalty minutes this year with 47 in 14 games while picking up four assists. He has led the league in PIMs over the prior two seasons, with a combined 297 in 162 games.
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