It has been quite an eventful comeback for Panthers star, Matthew Tkachuk. While he made a solid start to give his team a healthy lead against the Lightning, the latter pulled one back yesterday as the Lightning won Game 3 comfortably, 5-1. Tkachuk scored the Panthers’ only goal and was also involved in an unwanted controversy. During the dying stages of the game, Tkachuk leveled Lightning star Jake Guentzel with a huge hit such that Guentzel’s face bounced off the ice. It was a scary incident to watch, but the NHL Player Safety decided against any hearing in this case, which left many fans surprised.
While Tkachuk was expected to face repercussions for his actions, he got away with his clash with Guentzel. A section of the fans called out the NHL Player Safety body, who decided against taking any action against Tkachuk. One of the fans wrote, “But hagel got one for his. NHL again showing they favor certain players and teams.” To put things into perspective, the Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions and Tkachuk is a well-sought-after player. Thus, the fan thought that the NHL was partial in his case, favoring him during this incident.
But hagel got one for his. NHL again showing they favor certain players and teams.
— Tommy Baffi (@Jeanie_80749) April 27, 2025
Similarly, another Twitter user had also predicted that Tkachuk would get away with this incident. “Lmao I already knew it but it is officially over. @NHLPlayerSafety @NHL has absolute bias. Most likely gambling addicts running this trying to grease certain games,” said the fan, as Tkachuk escaped punishment for his aggressive play.
This is a developing story…
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