The NHL has fined Florida Panthers forward Nick Cousins $2,000 for embellishment after his second offense of the season.
Cousins was cited for embellishment in a game against the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 27. Cousins was hit after the whistle by Buffalo winger Jordan Greenway, fell to the ice dramatically while covering his face and then quickly rose to join a scrum in the corner. Clips of that play went viral among NHL fans in the aftermath, many of whom called out Cousins for "playing dead" on the ice.
Cousins had been warned about embellishment by the NHL following a Nov. 4 game against the Chicago Blackhawks, leading to his fine for a second offense. A third offense would result in a $3,000 fine.
The Panthers forward has become one of the most divisive players in the league thanks to his borderline physical play and antagonistic antics.
Florida defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson said Cousins is "trying a little bit of everything" to make an impact in games. "He's one of those guys that you love to have on your team and hate to play against," Ekman-Larsson said on ESPN's "The Drop" podcast.
In addition, the NHL fined St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist $2,000 for embellishment against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 28.
The fines are administered by the National Hockey League Hockey Operations Department, which tracks all games, logs all penalties for diving or embellishment, including incidents that aren't penalized in the game.
NHL Rule 64 on diving/embellishment is "designed to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties." Fines are assessed to players and head coaches on a graduated scale.