NHL Player Safety comes down on Habs, Capitals and 2 players.

Apparently Monday was a busy day at the offices of the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety.

In a pair of official announcements, the disciplinary arm of the NHL announced on Monday that both Montreal Canadiens forward Arber Xhekaj and Washington Capitals defenseman Dylan McIlrath would each receive a fine for their actions prior to Game 4 in Montreal.

Both men were punished under the "unsportsmanlike conduct" rule with Xhekaj earning a fine of $3,385.42 while McIlrath received a fine of $2,018.23. This wasn't a case of one being worse than the other, as both fines were simply the maximum the NHL could impose under the rules of the current collective bargaining agreement.

Believe it or not, the fun doesn't end here.

According to a report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, both the Canadiens and the Capitals also find themselves in hot water with some much more significant fines of their own. The league had previously warned both teams that it would crack down on any activities that took place during warmups or after the whistle, and it seems the NHL meant business with each team receiving a $25,000 fine on Monday morning as a result of the actions of their players.

As Friedman points out the ongoing conflict between the Capitals and Canadiens had made this series highly engaging and it is somewhat unfortunate to see the NHL trying to reign things in when the chaos of this series has been must-see TV.