Mathew Barzal will have a lighter wallet after NHL Player Safety slapped him with a $5,000 fine for slashing on Monday.
The incident, involving Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mason Marchment, occurred during the second period of Sunday night’s game between the New York Islanders and Blue Jackets. Marchment had just come up the ice after tripping Islanders’ prized rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer in what appeared to be a knee-on-knee hit.
While Marchment was set to sit in the box for the play, Barzal decided that wasn’t enough punishment, so he took a forceful two-handed chop to Marchment’s skate. Barzal’s hack led to an extended scrum involving all players on the ice.
Barzal was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for slashing. The extended power play seemed to swing the momentum in Columbus’s favor, as they scored three unanswered goals in the third period to leave the night 4-2 winners.
Under NHL rules, whenever a major penalty is assessed for slashing, a game misconduct penalty must also be imposed on the offending player. Major penalties for slashing are doled out at the referee’s discretion based on the severity of the contact and/or whether an injury occurs. Marchment was not injured and returned for the third period after serving his penalty.
“Well, we thought it was a knee,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said postgame. “And then, we’re never going to blame a teammate for going to try and defend a teammate.”
The Islanders have shown they are very protective of Schaefer, the number one overall pick from the 2025 NHL Draft, even acting as human shields to prevent Rangers forward Matt Rempe from being able to hit him during the preseason. Scahefer, the favorite to win this season’s Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, has 24 points (9g, 15a) in 39 games and is skating 23:47 of ice time per game.
Barzal, who has a history of fines for diving, unsportsmanlike conduct, and cross-checking, was not suspended despite his clear intent to injure Marchment. The lack of discipline regarding missed games might set a dangerous precedent for players across the NHL.
The ruling is also somewhat inconsistent, as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann was suspended one game for a similar retaliatory slash on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand earlier this month.
The Islanders and Blue Jackets do not meet again until after the Olympic break on February 28.
Here’s the full press release on Barzal’s fine from the NHL:
Islanders’ Barzal Fined for Slashing
NEW YORK (Dec. 29, 2025) – New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for slashing Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mason Marchment during NHL Game No. 603 in Columbus on Sunday, Dec. 28, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.
The incident occurred at 1:34 of the second period. Barzal was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for slashing.
The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
