San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for elbowing Capitals defenseman Radko Gudas, the league announced Wednesday.
With just over five minutes left in Tuesday night's game in San Jose, Kane and Gudas were skating to a loose puck. Kane raised his right glove, clutching the butt end of his stick, and struck Gudas in the head. The on-ice officials reviewed the hit and determined that Kane would receive a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct.
Capitals coach Todd Reirden said after the game that he hoped the league would "deal with" Kane's hit.
"It's a high hit. It's a reviewable penalty. The league will deal with it from there," Reirden said. "But it's the type of stuff we're working to remove from the game."
The Capitals didn't score on the major, but they defeated the Sharks 5-2. San Jose coach Pete DeBoer said he hoped the penalty on Kane would suffice.
"I did see the Kane hit. Definitely a penalty. I don't think it's more than that. That's my opinion. But that's not my department," he said.
Kane was suspended three games in September for physical abuse of officials, costing him more than $112,000. His last suspension for a physical altercation with another player was in April 2018, when he was suspended for one playoff game following a cross-check to Vegas forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.
The Capitals said they'll have an update on Gudas on Wednesday, before their game at the Los Angeles Kings.
ESPN's Greg Wyshynski contributed to this report.