NHL DoPS Embarrasses Itself with Weak Punishment for Niko Mikkola's Dangerous Slap Shot at Habs Player

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Sunday, but a late-game incident involving Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola fueled outrage heading into Tuesday's rematch.

As the last horn sounded, Mikkola fired a slap shot towards Montreal's net as the Canadiens players slid toward goalie Sam Montembeault to congratulate him.

The unexpected shot that nearly missed David Savard's head instantly started a fight as several players rushed in before officials broke it up. Fortunately, no one from either bench came out to further inflame the conflict.

Montreal must have viewed Mikkola's shot as a flagrant disregard for hockey's unwritten code. With the game already won, his shot could have no possible purpose other than injury, and it came as a shock to all.

In spite of the reckless play, the NHL Department of Player Safety issued Mikkola only a $5,000 fine, a mere slap on the wrist.

Since the action was so reckless, many believe that this is too light and does not represent enough incentive to deter this type of action going forward.

Sunday's victory was huge for the Canadiens, who are making a push in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. After their win on the road, Montreal has taken over the second wild-card position with a 34-30-9 mark and 77 points through 73 games.

They are even with the New York Rangers but have a game in hand. Florida is in third in the Atlantic Division, tied with Tampa Bay at 91 points and three behind division-leading Toronto.