Wild’s Mats Zuccarello and Predators’ Michael McCarron fined $2,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct

A rare instance when two players are both ponying up cash for the same incident.

On Friday, the NHL Department of Player Safety fined both Minnesota Wild forward Mats Zuccarello and Michael McCarron of the Nashville Predators $2,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The money is donated to the NHL Players’ Assistance Fund.

The incident happened during Thursday night’s game between the Predators and Wild. In the latter half of the second period, Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov gave a bump to Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier near the bench, which started a little disagreement between the two teams.

During the scrum, McCarron, who was on the ice, punched Zuccarello while the veteran was on the bench. McCarron ended up receiving a minor penalty for roughing, while Zuccarello was handed two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Predators went on to win the game, 6-1, their seventh in a row.

This is the first time in Zuccarello’s 14-year career that he has ever dealt with supplemental discipline. The Norwegian star is having another solid season, despite his production taking a dip from the past couple of years. Zuccarello has scored 11 goals and 39 assists in 51 games.

In his 817-game career, the former New York Ranger has notched 197 goals and 426 assists, posting 55 points in 96 playoff games.

McCarron has faced supplemental discipline in the past. In April 2021, he was suspended two games for hitting Yanni Gourde, then with the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the head. The Grosse Pointe, Michigan native is having a career year with the Preds, scoring nine goals and eight assists in 49 games. In 207 NHL games, McCarron has registered 20 goals and 23 assists, having played just three postseason games in his career.

The red-hot Predators (34-25-2) are currently fourth in the Central Division, nine points back of the Colorado Avalanche for third, and are holding one of the two Wild Card spots in the Western Conference.

The Wild (28-26-6) have been slipping further and further out of a playoff spot. They are sixth in the Central, eight points back of the Predators.