Huge hit by Matthew Tkachuk leads to him getting his ass kicked and to two ejections
Matthew Tkachuk has become one of the top power forwards in the NHL. He had a career high 104 points this season, along with 68 penalty minutes. But as good as Tkachuk was in the regular season, he is really a player who is built for the playoffs.
At the end of the first period in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars, the Calgary Flames' forward laid a huge hit on John Klingberg. Multiple Stars players took exception to the hit and went after Tkachuk. Eventually it was Michael Raffl who dropped the gloves with Tkachuk. Then immediately after John Klingberg and Rasmus Andersson threw down.
Both Tkachuk and Raffl were given 5 minutes for fighting but Raffl was given an extra 2 minutes for instigating. Klingberg and Andersson were also given a 5 minute penalty, and both received a game misconduct. Because the fight was well after the original altercation between Tkachuk and Raffl, Klingberg and Andersson were automatically ejected as per Rule 46.7.
This series is going to be a physical one. A 1st period goal by Elias Lindholm ended up being enough as the Flames won the game 1-0. Hopefully the winner will have some time to rest before the next opponent.
| POLL | ||
Who do you think will win this series? | ||
| Calgary Flames | 230 | 80.7 % |
| Dallas Stars | 55 | 19.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
