Tampa Bay Lightning forward Curtis Douglas was fined $2,018.23 Friday for serving as the aggressor in his team’s latest melee with the archrival Florida Panthers.
The NHL issued the maximum allowable fine to Douglas for fighting an unwilling opponent, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola, in the third period of the Lightning’s 6-1 home victory Thursday night.
Douglas was retaliating for Mikkola’s earlier unprovoked hit on Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov, which helped trigger a line brawl.
Douglas’ five-minute fighting major and 10-minute misconduct contributed to a whopping game total of 147 penalty minutes. Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser was ejected in the third period along with Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling and head coach Paul Maurice.
A 6-foot-9 rookie enforcer, Douglas ranks fifth in the league with 92 penalty minutes in just 29 appearances. He fought Florida’s Luke Kunin when the Lightning beat the Panthers 4-2 in their previous meeting on Dec. 27, another rough game that produced 136 penalty minutes.
Tampa Bay claimed Douglas off waivers from the Utah Mammoth in October.
Thursday’s game was the last for both teams before the three-week Olympic break.
Winners of 19 of their last 21, the Lightning co-lead the Eastern Conference with 78 points, while the Panthers have 61 points and are eight back of a playoff spot.
