The Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals were both fined $25,000 for their antics while warming up before Game 4 of their playoff series on Sunday, April 27. The NHL Department of Player Safety announced the fines, as well as individual penalties against Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj ($3,385.42) and Washington’s Dylan McIlrath ($2,018.23), on Monday, April 28.
Fans Share Shocked Reactions to Fines on Social Media
According to RMNB.com, the league did not elaborate on the reasons for the fines. McIlrath and Xhekaj were allegedly involved in a minor confrontation while skating during the warmup before puck drop.
Hockey fans shared a variety of emotional reactions to the news on X (formerly Twitter). Sportsnet analyst and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman posted his response to the official announcement on the microblogging platform.
The NHL hates fun. We all know this.
— Dan Rice (@DRiceHockey) April 28, 2025
Friedman’s post drew a near-instant response from one fan. Other fans criticized the seeming inconsistency on the part of the regulatory body.
“The NHL is focusing on this, but they’ll turn a blind eye when a player gets his head taken off,” a fan said.
“Any news on the hits to the head yet?” Another asked.
I'm not convinced they "don't like it".
I think Bettman and the League want to have their cake and eat it too.
Their behavior reminds me a lot of NASCAR circa 2010; they wanted the drama of drivers taking vigilante justice on the track, but not the scary crashes that came with.
— Brandon (@Studio89_Design) April 28, 2025
“This is probably a question I should send into thought line but why is the league so quick to fine teams for warm-up shenanigans but ignores when it happens during last 5 minutes of game? Isn’t there a rule for message sending in blowout?” One fan asked.
“But headshots are not a problem for them, player safety is a joke, image safety should be the new name,” yet another user posted.
This isn’t the first time the officials have stepped in during a contentious series. Washington’s Tom Wilson and Montreal’s Josh Anderson were each docked $5,000 for their roles in a bench-clearing altercation in Game 3, with the league trying to crack down on displays of gamesmanship, Sportsnet reported.
Capitals Defeat Canadiens To Take 3–1 Lead in Series
The warmup shenanigans spilled over into the game, with nine power plays on the night. Tom Wilson also got in a crunching hit on Habs’ Alexandre Carrier. The Capitals scored four times in the third period to rally for a 5-2 win on the night.
Brandon Duhaime scored twice, while Dylan Strome had a goal and an assist, and Andrew Mangiapane scored the tying goal on the night. Wilson scored an empty-netter as well. Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield each scored a power-play goal for the Canadiens.
Washington is 3-1 up in the series and can advance to the second round with a win at home in Game 5 on Wednesday, April 30.