Michael McCarron fined $2000 for goalie interference on Canucks’ Casey DeSmith

The incident occurred midway through the first period when Casey DeSmith was behind the net trying to clear the puck out of harm’s way when he received a hit from McCarron, who came in with a burst of speed. A penalty was immediately called on the play and a scrum ensued shortly after that, with Filip Hronek going right at McCarron.

The Canucks would proceed to score on the ensuing power play off the stick of JT Miller, which proved to be a vital one, as Vancouver went on to win the contest 2-1.

The play in question definitely warranted supplemental discipline, as McCarron made no effort to slow down or adjust his positioning to avoid colliding with DeSmith. The fact that the Canucks goalie got hit up high meant the aftermath of it could have been a lot worse, especially with the team already down Thatcher Demko.

It’s fair to assume that the reason this play cost McCarron nothing more than a fine was because a penalty got called on the play and Vancouver scored on it, which the DoPS likely deemed enough of a punishment in the game. While it’s understandable why some Canucks fans would have wanted the DoPS to go a step further and issue a suspension, in the end, they deemed this a worthy enough discipline for the play and will leave it at that.

It’s a good thing DeSmith was not injured on the play because he was spectacular in Game 3 by making 25 saves and the only puck that got by him was a screened shot from Luke Evangelista late in the third period. With Demko’s projected return unclear, DeSmith will be getting quite a bit of runway to provide some stability in the crease. Performances like Friday’s will give the Canucks confidence that they can weather the storm while their starter recovers.

He and the Canucks will look to put a stranglehold on the series in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon. You can catch the action on Sportsnet with puck drop scheduled for 2 p.m. PDT.