That it will be fun was indicated by the brawl already in the third minute of the match. In the second period, with the score 3:1 for the Panthers, Ottawa striker Patrick Brown showered Lyon with ice chips and immediately felt what it was like when the Czech bearded man Radko Gudas started to cross him. Both received five minutes for the brawl, the Senators player received an additional two for unsportsmanlike conduct.
But that wasn’t all. Two minutes later, Brady Tkachuk drove into Lyon, Marc Staal flew at him, and after a scuffle, both of them packed into the cabins prematurely. At the same moment, Tkachuk’s brother in Florida jersey, Matthew, was fighting with Ottawa’s Drake Batherson. But they escaped with only five minutes.
“The energy in the arena was amazing. It felt like a playoff game. One of those in which everything is at stake. The audience understood it and drove us forward,” explained Tkachuk, who jeered the audience on the way to the penalty box.
The Senators didn’t take well to his tackle on Alex DeBrincat, who was in possession of the puck when the Florida sharpshooter drove into him hard, but he was lifting very hard. Penalties for rudeness and scores for unsportsmanlike behavior were thus applied practically until the end of the match. “Wilderness,” Batherson said curtly.
The last NHL game in which more penalty minutes were awarded (171) was between Vancouver and Toronto in November 2016. “This was definitely not a normal regular season game,” smiled Aleksandr Barkov, captain of the Panthers, who cut off Ottawa’s path to the playoffs for good parts.
Florida (89 points), which holds the first wild card in the Eastern Conference, but is not yet certain of the playoffs. Her competitors also won. Islanders (89 p.) 6:1 with Tampa, Pittsburgh (88 p.) then 4:1 with Minnesota.
The Panthers still have games in Washington and at home against Toronto and Carolina before the end of the regular season. When they play six points, they don’t have to look back.
“We can control it. The important thing is that we are ready,” Gudas said.
Such chaos as in the fight with Ottawa will probably not happen again.
The NHL is enjoying the Czech attack. Will Jagr’s record fall? Discussion from the program PříklepVideo: Sport.cz
