BOSTON — The NHL fined Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy $25,000 on Tuesday for his criticism of the officials after Game 4 of Boston’s second-round playoff series against the New York Islanders.
The Islanders scored three power-play goals on four chances in a 5-4 victory on Monday night while being called for two penalties themselves. After the game, Cassidy commended the officials but said the teams were treated differently despite playing similar styles.
“I think they sell a narrative over there that it’s more like the New York Saints, not the New York Islanders,” he said. “The calls, the exact calls that are getting called on us do not get called on them — and I don’t know why.
“Maybe we need to sell them more — flop — but that’s not us.”
Asked about Cassidy’s comments, New York coach Barry Trotz noted that his team was one of the least penalized in the regular season. The Bruins had the most minor penalties called on them this year, and the Islanders were 29th in the 31-team league.
But some of the calls in Monday’s game were for plays that often are ignored.
“It’s not like I’m sitting there going, ‘Every call against us sucks.’ It’s not true. It’s just the end of the day, the similar plays — they need to be penalized on those plays,” Cassidy said. “They play hard, hard brand of hockey. Love the way they play. But they commit as many infractions as we do — trust me. It’s just a matter of calling ‘em.”
Also Tuesday, the league fined Bruins forward Nick Ritchie the maximum of $5,000 for elbowing Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield in the first period of Game 5.
