Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson was fined $5,000 on Tuesday for butt-ending Wild forward Michael McCarron.
The incident occurred in the first period of Colorado’s 5-2 win at Minnesota on Monday night in Game 4 of their Western Conference second-round series, which the Avalanche lead 3-1.
Manson received a double minor on the play after appearing to jam the butt end of his stick into McCarron’s neck area as they were tangled up on the ice.
“He’s a dirty player. He’s always been,” McCarron told ESPN during a break in the action. “Surprised he got away with a four-minute (penalty).”
Manson, 34, was making his first appearance since April 23 due to an upper-body injury. He has two assists and eight penalty minutes in four games this postseason after posting 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) and 91 penalty minutes in 79 games in the regular season.
The fine was the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.
