The most hated player in the league is Nick Cousins, and he has just been punished by Gary Bettman and the Department of Player Safety for his actions. The Sabres dominated on the road Thursday with a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, though not without some controversy in the third period. Senators center Nick Cousins was called for elbowing Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson, a play that drew Cousins a $2,083.33 fine, <a href='https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/ottawa-senators-nick-cousins-given-max-fine-for-elbow-1.2233280' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the maximum under the NHL's collective bargaining agreement</a>, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Friday. Bryson stayed in the game after the incident. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/NHLPlayerSafety/status/1877734712073965578'> </a></blockquote></div> Cousins, 31, from Belleville, Ont., <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/ottawa-senators/senators-sign-nick-cousins-bringing-grit-to-fourth-line' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>signed a one-year, $800,000 free-agent contract this season with Ottawa</a> after helping the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup last June. <a href='https://www.nhl.com/senators/player/nick-cousins-8476393' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Cousins</a> has logged five goals and seven assists and added 27 minutes in the penalty box in 38 games with the Senators this season for a total of 12 points. His NHL career consists of 630 games with seven different teams, which include the Philadelphia Flyers, Arizona Coyotes, and Vegas Golden Knights while picking up 192 career points and 339 penalty minutes. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/HockeyDaily365/status/1865587050918879485'> </a></blockquote></div> On the other side, Jacob Bryson has suited up in 25 games for Buffalo this season, with three assists and eight penalty minutes. A fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, Bryson has appeared in 231 career games, totaling four goals and 35 assists. The fifth-year defenseman is still a stable presence on Buffalo's blue line. The Sabres now lead the season series against Ottawa 2-0, also including the shutout win Thursday and another 5-1 victory back in November. These two teams will meet twice more in March and April. The drama aside, the Buffalo team is outpacing its rival in the Atlantic Division as they lock eyes on the remaining matchups in the 2024-25 season.