The NHL will be keeping a close eye on the action Sunday night at the Bell Centre. Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9d874803-7f19-4c19-b322-6547d6d938a2.jpeg] The NHL will be keeping a close eye on the action Sunday night at the Bell Centre. Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images So far in these playoffs, we’ve seen a lot of extracurricular activities, and the NHL isn’t liking it. Two days ago, former Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] player and now Ottawa Senators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators] forward Nick Cousins was fined $2,083.33 for shooting a puck at Toronto Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs]’ goaltender Anthony Stolarz during warm-up. Canadiens: About Laine's Injury [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-about-laines-injury] Canadiens: The Battle Of The Backups? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-the-battle-of-the-backups] Canadiens: Anderson Is Leading His Team Into Battle [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-anderson-is-leading-his-team-into-battle] Arber Xhekaj made his long-awaited playoff debut on Friday night against the Washington Capitals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals]. During warm-up, Sportsnet’s cameras caught him having a spirited discussion with gritty Caps winger Tom Wilson. Later in the game, Wilson and Josh Anderson ended up nearly fighting each other on the Capitals’ bench; the only thing that kept them from actually throwing punches was the presence of the linesman between the two would-be pugilists. The images made the rounds on the internet, and a new meme was born when Wilson made cry-baby gestures towards the Canadiens, but not at the whole team, Wilson said. It turns out this target was Juraj Slafkovsky. Judging by all the content it generated on the net, the fans love that kind of malarkey, but the NHL doesn’t. According to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the NHL has contacted both teams and told them to be very careful during warmups, TV breaks, and between periods. While the league is simply doing its job, I fail to see how a warning, no matter how stern, could appease tempers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. You make two teams face each other for minimum four games in a row, there’s bond to be bad blood and a lot of developing side stories, and if we’re honest, that’s exactly what fans want to see; two teams that hate each other going at it for as many games as possible. There’s a reason why the TV ratings are so high during the playoffs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
