Habs' Matheson fined for hit that injured Panthers' Staal

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson was fined $5,000 for interfering with Panthers forward Eric Staal during Florida's 6-2 victory on Thursday night, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Friday.

Matheson stopped, turned slightly, and caught Staal up high when both players pursued the puck along the boards late in the first period. The blue-liner wasn't penalized for the hit and Staal was ruled out of the remainder of the contest with an upper-body injury.

The Panthers lost goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to an injury earlier in the contest.

Florida's talented agitator, Matthew Tkachuk, exacted some revenge on Matheson in the third period.

Matheson, a former Panthers rearguard who turns 29 in February, is in his first season with the Canadiens. Staal is a 38-year-old ex-Hab in his first campaign with Florida.