Utah’s Jack McBain fined for high-sticking Canadiens Brendan Gallagher

Utah Hockey Club center Jack McBain has been fined $4,166.67, the maximum amount allowed under collective bargaining agreements, for senior Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher, NHL Department of Player Safety announced Wednesday.

The incident occurred in Tuesday’s contest between Utah and the Canadiens in Salt Lake City, and came 21 seconds into the frame. McBain was assessed a two-minute minor penalty on the play. By the end of the night, McBain was held pointless and finished the game with three hits, while Gallagher ultimately recorded three shots and a minus-one rating en route to a 5-3 road win for the Canadiens.

With the win, the Canadiens evened their season series with Utah at one win apiece after Utah took a 3-2 overtime decision in Montreal in late November.

On the season, McBain has played 43 games with Utah, where he has tallied 10 goals and five assists for 15 points with a team-leading 49 penalty minutes. The 24-year-old Toronto native is in his fourth year with the squad and counts three campaigns with the former Arizona Coyotes, where through 202 career contests he has registered 32 goals and 38 assists for 70 points. Sore PuckPediaMcBain has an average annual value of just $1.6 million and can become a restricted free agent in the offseason.

For Gallagher, the veteran forward is skating in his 13th season with the Canadiens, where through 43 appearances in 2024-25 he has collected 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points along with 19 penalty minutes. Gallagher finished last season with 31 points in 77 games. A fifth-round pick of the 2010 NHL Draft, Gallagher’s time in Montreal has amassed 795 NHL games, scoring 228 goals and 215 assists for 443 points with 535 penalty minutes. The 32-year-old Edmonton product is signed through 2026-27 at an annual average value of $6.5 million, according to PuckPedia.