Another day, another layer of drama in the new-era Battle of Ontario. And this time, the NHL is getting involved.

The news was reported by The Athletic and Sportsnet on Friday morning, with details emerging that Ottawa Senators forward Nick Cousins shot a puck at Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz in warmups.

Cousins was caught on video flipping a puck at Stolarz while he stretched near the centre ice line at Canadian Tire Centre, but the incident seemed to breeze past fans and media in attendance, with nothing about the specifics of the incident coming to light until the following morning. The Leafs went on to win Game 3 in overtime following some heroics by Simon Benoit just over a minute into the extra frame.

Cousins has long been a thorn in the side of not just the Leafs, but the entire NHL. He was voted the league’s most hated player in the annual NHL player poll from The Athletic, and aside from being the player to eliminate the Leafs in Game 5 of the second round in 2022-23, he’s got a reputation for being a dirty player. He was involved in an incident with Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Erik Gudbranson in 2023-24, after he threw a questionable hit on Gudbranson before the latter took matters into his own hands and tackled him later in the game. He also went knee-on-knee with Leafs prospect Jacob Quillan when the two teams met in January, but seemed to get the worst of the collision and went on the injured reserve until the playoffs.

Stolarz has become the centre of attention for the Leafs in this young series, not only with his stellar play, but for showing some fight and drawing a penalty for roughing Ridly Greig in Game 2. He quipped to NHL officials prior to Game 3 that he would behave if the referees looked out for him.

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported that while it’s not a serious violation, if the Leafs complained to the league, then they’re required to look into it and determine if it’s worthy of any fines.

This is an ongoing investigation by the NHL, and it’s unknown at this time if Cousins or the Senators will receive any supplemental discipline for their role in the incident.

More to come.