Young Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov has had an up-and-down start to his career since entering the league during the 2021-2022 season, where he played in three games and reeled off three wins, but the Penza, Russia, native has been known to be a bit of a hot head, whether playing in the American Hockey League with the Chicago Wolves or in the National Hockey League at PNC Arena in North Carolina.
However, it's his actions late in overtime while playing the Washington Capitals that may have people talking.
With about a minute left in the overtime period, after making a glove save, the goaltender falls to his knees and appears to deliberately kick out his left leg, kicking or tripping Capitals defenseman John Carlson.
While this type of behaviour is not unusual, especially late in a game, there could be a strong case for intent to injure, in which case the twenty-four-year-old goaltender should have been called for something.
There has been increased discontent with how the referees and officials overall have handled games for an exceedingly long period, and although they cannot call everything, especially if they do not see it, it may be time for officials to face reviews and be punished accordingly if it is found that they miss a percentage of calls either during a specific game or through the course of a season.
POLL | ||
23 MARS | 114 ANSWERS Hurricanes goalie tries to injure John Carlson, dangerously kicks him with skate Does Pyotr Kochertkov remind you of goaltenders like Ron Hextall? | ||
Yes | 67 | 58.8 % |
No | 47 | 41.2 % |
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