NHL fines Canucks' Höglander for dangerous slew foot
Nils Höglander is being fined the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for slew-footing Kevin Labanc last night. The incident took place early in the game between the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks.
The Canucks forward was ejected from the game after receiving a match penalty for attempting to injure Labanc in the first period. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced today that the Swedish forward is being fined $2,864.58 as a result of this action.
Vancouver’s Nils Hoglander has been fined $2,864.58, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Slew-footing San Jose’s Kevin Labanc.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 21, 2023
Höglander and Labanc got tangled up in front of the Canucks bench in pursuit of the puck. The 22-year-old then used his leg to sweep Labanc backwards off of his feet in what can only be described as a classic slew foot.
Nils Höglander gets a match penalty for attempt to injure and is ejected from the game. pic.twitter.com/uYOP77ltCH
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 21, 2023
After leaving the bench briefly to get checked out, Labanc returned to the game and ended up finishing with more than 11 minutes of ice time. The Sharks winger has had a difficult start to the season with no goals and just two assists through his first 13 games.
The Sharks were awarded a five-minute power play due to Höglander’s match penalty but it was the Canucks who scored next with a short-handed goal by Sam Lafferty. The Sharks responded early in the second period when Tomas Hertl scored with the man-advantage.
The Canucks went on to win the game 3-1 behind goals by Quinn Hughes, Lafferty, and J.T. Miller. The win improved their record to 13-5-1.
Today’s ruling does mean that Höglander will be available for the Canucks’ next game on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche as he avoids suspension.
The winger has had a strong start to the season with five goals and three assists through 17 games. Prior to yesterday’s battle against the Sharks, he had scored in two consecutive games.
Höglander signed a two-year contract last summer that carries a cap hit of $1.1 million.