


Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk followed up his Game 1 ejection in the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals by laying out a Golden Knights rival on Monday night.
The star Florida winger, 25, delivered a massive hit on Vegas center Jack Eichel in Game 2 of the series, in which the Golden Knights won 7-2 to seize a commanding 2-0 lead.
Tkachuk collided with the 26-year-old Eichel in the second period as the Golden Knights continued to shut out the Panthers, 4-0, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
As Eichel tried to bring the puck out of his zone, Tkachuk nailed him with his shoulder, with the Golden Knights star immediately falling to the ice and losing his helmet in the process.
Eichel then skated off to the dressing room as his Golden Knights teammates bombarded Tkachuk shortly after.
Both Tkachuk and Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev were hit with 10-minute game misconduct penalties in the second.
Tkachuk was later tossed from the contest after another misconduct call in the third period, which is when Eichel returned to the ice and logged an assist off a goal from Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault.
Eichel, who has recorded six goals and 16 assists throughout the playoffs, elaborated on the hit from Tkachuk postgame, calling the collision a “clean check.”
“He finishes what I saw was a clean check on me. It’s a physical game. You’re gonna get hit sometimes, so you just kind of move on,” said Eichel, who added it was a “big hit.”
Tkachuk then offered his perspective on the clash with Eichel.
“I just came off the bench and saw him in the middle of the ice with his head down. It doesn’t matter who you are, you shouldn’t be going through the middle with your head down, you’re going to get hit,” Tkachuk said, according to ESPN.
“I would go get hit too if I had my head down in the middle. It’s not a big deal. He’s a really good player. Really good players can get hit, too.”
Game 3 of the series heads to Sunrise, Fla. on Thursday.