NHL Player Safety comes down on Boston's Kevin Shattenkirk.

This is a bit of a strange one.

On Saturday night the Boston Bruins clashed with the Pittsburgh Penguins in what was a fairly intense game with the Penguins in a desperate battle for their playoff lives. The Bruins would eventually take the win by a score of 6-4 and the game seemed to transpire without any major incidents, but it would seem the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety does not agree.

On Sunday morning, the disciplinary arm of the NHL announced that they would be issuing a maximum fine in the amount of $2,734.38 as a result of what the league has described as "unsportsmanlike conduct." The issue here is that nothing from Shattenkirk particularly stands out from last night's game, certainly not to the level that it would warrant a fine, and the NHL itself hasn't made any effort to clarify matters.

No word on who the unsportsmanlike conduct may have been directed at or even what form it may have taken with the league simply leaving us to guess at what may have transpired, so that is what I will do.

During the game Penguins forward Michael Bunting made contact with Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark, and I suspect that Shattenkirk's act of retaliation against Bunting may have been what landed him in trouble. Shattenkirk appeared to give Bunting a bit of a whack from the bench following this incident, and I believe that is what led to the today's fine from the Department of Player Safety. Do keep in mind that this is only speculation on my part.