NHL Playoff hockey is intense. No doubt about it, by the end of a best of 7 series players are sick of each other, emotions run high and everything is turned up to 11. It’s what makes it great but the Battle of Florida between the Panthers and Lightning has hit a stage where the NHL and its officials appear to have lost it and it is now completely out of control. Starting with the Hagel hit on Barkov that got him a suspension, followed up by Tkachuk hitting Guentzel which did not receive anything beyond a 5 minute major it has guys seeking retribution and is becoming dangerous. Aaron Ekblad going after Hagel with him returning in tonights game saw Ekblad lay a nasty forearm right to the chin of Hagel. Hagel left the game and did not return for the remainder of the game. Worse of all, there was no call on the play. This sets a precedent for what officials are okay with and in the 3rd period, Niko Mikkola ran a defenceless Zemgus Girgensons into the board while he was on his knees. Another baffling decision from a Florida player as he did receive a 5 minute major and the ejection. However, while the Tampa Bay Lightning were able to score 2 goals in 11 seconds, the Panthers did the same in the 3rd with the first goal coming from none other than Ekblad. I cover it all and more in todays NHL hockey video!
@Florida Panthers
31 Comments
It goes both ways all the players elbow and knock the shit out of each other to get a reaction need to bring back old school hockey
That was a great video. Panther fan here, and yes, it is getting out of control.
Wow that Ekblad hit was the worst one out of any of them and they didn't even call a penalty.
Tampa Bay started that dirty playing.
This years playoffs has to be the most inconsistent reffing ive ever seen…
Physicality is integral to hockey.
The fear of getting hit makes fast players pause, and the chance evaporates.
Thats hockey
I never understood how players continually try to seriously injure other players.
Ref clearly was not looking at ekblad during the hit. Should have gotten 5 and a game but he didn't. But you can clearly see the ref looking to the left. Not the first time a big call gets missed in a game. But you can't compare tkachuks hit to hagels hit on barkov. Barkov didn't have the puck and Hagel launched upwards on the hit. Tkachuk lowered the shoulder on Guentzel and stayed on the ice with one skate. Late? Maybe by a second. But the average hockey player knows you shouldn't day dream after passing in the neutral zone
Nothing will ever change when the punishments are so weak. I'm not suggesting ramping up fines. Remove them from the league for ever. They can't play, they can't coach. They can't attend a game as a spectator. Watch the dirty hits disappear. There are no leaders in any entity left in the world with enough spine to make these kinds of tough decisions.
Weak Hagel
Fight for Florida
I didnt see a whole lot wrong with anything. Probably why i havent watched hockey since the 90's
All of the players, refs and league owners are responsible for the level of violence and rule breaking. They do not enforce rules throughout the year. We should very rarely see fighting for example. The players are not skilled enough except for a few on each team. If they were and the product was of high quality then they would not need to constantly break the rules. Do not whine just during the playoffs. All of them created this reality.
Regardless of who deserved what, the fact that Ekblad delivered that obvious and targeted elbow to the head, and then pretended that it was unintentional, looks bad for him. I get that he can’t tell the truth without suffering consequences. It just means that the game is not nearly as honourable as people pretend.
Fuck around and find out!!! Don’t hit the captain!!!
It's hockey… you throw a dirty hit on a star player, you are going to be targeted. Quit bitching.
Tampon Bay Girls…cry me a river
…cope harder
old school hockey, i love it
The refs clearly play league preferred favorites across the board.
When the NHL wants a certain team to win a series, that team is going to win that series.
This is what up is wrong w hockey now
It’s called boarding
This was why hockey was better 25+ years ago, keep your head up.
The NHL is a farce.
The NHL is a joke. The Panthers need to face real repercussions for their dirty play.
Tampa needs an enforcer. They just have little finesse guys. Tampa needs an Oglethorpe from slapshot type to protect the little guys.
Panthers are the dirtiest team in the league, referees are totally useless, not just in this series either, disgusting!!!
Hockey has been so pussyfied it isn’t even funny. What’s happening is still tame compared to the 80’s and 90’s.
ekbald never shouldve been in this game after the elbow. this was a win for Tampa
I don't know what the Flordia Panthers ownership has on Bettman and the NHL the last couple of years, but what we are seeing is unconscionable . This panthers team is hitting to injure their appointments . The puck could be 5 miles away from the player . Does not matter to the Panthers they are assaulting players in this series and the NHL is looking right at it and doing nothing . This is not playing hard this is assault . The NHL will regret this when other teams do the same thing and players careers are ended . How God dam stupid is this leaque going to get in the name of playoffs . 1 rule book for the Flordia Panthers and 1 for everyone else .
When half of the commercials are for sports betting apps and the calls make no sense. Now you should understand why they are paid millions of dollars. It’s all rigged. Want your team to win? Bet heavily on the other team. There is no credibility in the NHL! So sad!