Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was given a $5000 fine from NHL Player Safety for his interference penalty on Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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Toronto’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for interference on Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel.
&mdash; NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafety/status/1848757456479863184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The play in question happened early in the third period of Monday night&#8217;s game. Ekman-Larsson was in the neutral zone trying to cut off the lane that Guentzel was trying to skate through and get a breakaway. Instead of corraling the puck, Ekman-Larsson opted for a reverse hit that knocked Guentzel to the ice, resulting in an interference penalty on the play.
The $5000 fine issued to Ekman-Larsson is the maximum allowable under the CBA for an interference infraction. The hit was certainly an impactful one and while some may question why it needed further supplemental discipline, a fine is obviously a better outcome than a suspension. <a href="https://x.com/reporterchris/status/1848765991162970615" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is the second time in his career</a> that he got further discipline from the DoPS with his last one being a slash in March 2018.
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OEL gets 2 minutes for interference after this big reverse hit on Jake Guentzel 😳 <a href="https://t.co/TDAdyMeBue">pic.twitter.com/TDAdyMeBue</a>
&mdash; Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) <a href="https://twitter.com/GinoHard_/status/1848542461368443324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The fine is a minor blemish on what was an otherwise strong showing for Ekman-Larsson on Monday. He was imposing his will physically with a team-leading four hits, finished second behind Jake McCabe for TOI among Leafs&#8217; defencemen with 21:40, and Toronto outshot Tampa Bay 14-6 when he was on the ice.
Ekman-Larsson&#8217;s <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-is-grossly-outplaying-his-contract-early-on-albergas-take" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leafs tenure is off to a flying start</a> as he has quickly emerged as one of their most dependable blueliners in the early going. He has brought snarl and physicality, played soundly defensively, and made creative offensive plays to help <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-offensive-inventiveness-toronto-maple-leafs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">generate quality scoring chances</a>. It did not take him long to get promoted to the top power-play unit which, while not firing on all cylinders just yet, has seen plenty of great looks with Ekman-Larsson quarterbacking it.
He is in the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-sign-oliver-ekman-larsson-to-4-year-contract-worth-3-5m-aav" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first season of a four-year contract</a> he signed with the Leafs on July 1st which carries an AAV of $3.5 million. Last season, he helped guide the Florida Panthers to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Through the first six games of this campaign, Ekman-Larsson has registered four assists while averaging a team-leading 22:13 TOI.

Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson was given a $5000 fine from NHL Player Safety for his interference penalty on Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

https://twitter.com/nhlplayersafety/status/1848757456479863184?s=46&amp;t=l0j4UDHMrkGyvynmxr7H1Q

The play in question happened early in the third period of Monday night's game. Ekman-Larsson was in the neutral zone trying to cut off the lane that Guentzel was trying to skate through and get a breakaway. Instead of corraling the puck, Ekman-Larsson opted for a reverse hit that knocked Guentzel to the ice, resulting in an interference penalty on the play.

The $5000 fine issued to Ekman-Larsson is the maximum allowable under the CBA for an interference infraction. The hit was certainly an impactful one and while some may question why it needed further supplemental discipline, a fine is obviously a better outcome than a suspension. <a href="https://x.com/reporterchris/status/1848765991162970615" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is the second time in his career</a> that he got further discipline from the DoPS with his last one being a slash in March 2018.

https://twitter.com/GinoHard_/status/1848542461368443324

The fine is a minor blemish on what was an otherwise strong showing for Ekman-Larsson on Monday. He was imposing his will physically with a team-leading four hits, finished second behind Jake McCabe for TOI among Leafs' defencemen with 21:40, and Toronto outshot Tampa Bay 14-6 when he was on the ice.

Ekman-Larsson's <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-is-grossly-outplaying-his-contract-early-on-albergas-take" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leafs tenure is off to a flying start</a> as he has quickly emerged as one of their most dependable blueliners in the early going. He has brought snarl and physicality, played soundly defensively, and made creative offensive plays to help <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-offensive-inventiveness-toronto-maple-leafs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">generate quality scoring chances</a>. It did not take him long to get promoted to the top power-play unit which, while not firing on all cylinders just yet, has seen plenty of great looks with Ekman-Larsson quarterbacking it.

He is in the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/maple-leafs-sign-oliver-ekman-larsson-to-4-year-contract-worth-3-5m-aav" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first season of a four-year contract</a> he signed with the Leafs on July 1st which carries an AAV of $3.5 million. Last season, he helped guide the Florida Panthers to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Through the first six games of this campaign, Ekman-Larsson has registered four assists while averaging a team-leading 22:13 TOI.

Maple Leafs’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson fined $5,000 for interference on Jake Guentzel

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