Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk will not receive supplemental discipline for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
Tkachuk received a five-minute major for his hit in the third period of the Panthers’ 5-1 loss Saturday. According to sources, the NHL Department of Player Safety determined that was enough, considering Guentzel had recently touched the puck and Tkachuk didn’t make contact with Guentzel’s head.
According to sources, the department of player safety also believed Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel was with less force than the hit Tampa’s Brandon Hagel made on Florida captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2, which earned Hagel a one-game suspension. Hagel received a five-minute major for interference on the play; the puck was clearly past Barkov when Hagel made contact with him.
The plays led both coaches to trade jabs in the media. After Barkov went down in Game 2, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said: “The only players we hit are the one with pucks.”
Barkov missed the end of the third period of Game 2 but played in Game 3. Game 4 is Monday at Amerant Bank Arena.
At his postgame news conference following Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper deadpanned the exact same line as Maurice.
Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with three goals and an assist through three games. Guentzel has two goals and two assists for Tampa Bay.
The Battle of Florida is living up to the billing as one of the most contentious rivalries in hockey; either Tampa or Florida has made it to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the past five seasons.
