Horvat Fined for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

The fine levied against Bo Horvat stemmed from an incident at 16:15 of the third period in the Islanders' game against the San Jose Sharks on March 7th. During a scrum near the Sharks' bench, Horvat reached over and flicked the visor of forward William Eklund, who was seated. No penalty was assessed on the play. Ironically, Horvat later became the hero of the game for the Islanders, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to secure a 2-1 victory over the Sharks. The $2,500 fine, the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement for this type of offense, will be contributed to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. The matchup between Buffalo and Tampa Bay was a battle for first place in the Atlantic Division, with the Sabres ultimately winning the penalty-filled game 8-7. The contest saw a combined 100 penalty minutes handed out, with five separate fights breaking out in the first period and the opening seconds of the second. The fighting started just five minutes into the game when Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin fought with the Lightning's Darren Raddysh following a hit on Tage Thompson by Brandon Hagel. Hagel was involved in another fight later in the first period against Peyton Krebs, one of three fights in that period alone. The other first-period bouts included Sam Carrick versus Scott Sabourin, followed by early second-period fights between Michael Kesselring and Erik Cernak, and Beck Malenstyn and Corey Perry.