Brady Tkachuk hit Jordan Martinook with his stick on Thursday night, and somehow, he only got a two-minute penalty. Usually, something like that would get a player kicked out of the game and face a disciplinary review.
But that didn’t happen this time. After watching the play again, the referees decided it was just a minor penalty for interference. This decision is going to be talked about a lot over the weekend.
Hitting someone with your stick is looked down upon in hockey. Getting only a two-minute penalty for it is pretty rare, especially in a playoff match.
The captain of the Senators has been losing his temper all night. Earlier, Tkachuk got so mad that he slammed the bench door when the crowd booed Ottawa during a terrible 5-on-3 power play.
This shows a captain who is not keeping his cool in front of his fans. It’s the worst time to act like that, especially when the crowd is watching.
Travis Green really needs his captain to step up, not fall apart.
Tkachuk hasn’t done anything in three playoff games. He has no goals, no assists, and a minus-2 rating. This is the frustration that leads to outbursts like these.
When things don’t go well, being the captain is the toughest job on the ice. You are expected to keep your emotions in check and set a good example. Tkachuk hitting Martinook is the complete opposite of that.
Martinook, who is a 33-year-old experienced player for the Hurricanes, is playing his role really well. He already scored the game-winning goal in this series and knows how to get under a star player’s skin.
Is this the captain Ottawa expected to get for $8.2 million? When he’s scoring, yes. But when he’s hitting players and slamming doors, it’s a big no. He needs to do better at balancing those actions.
Rod Brind’Amour’s team is winning these mental battles easily. They’ve kept Tkachuk scoreless during the series and made him commit bad penalties as well.
Carolina ended the game with 113 points and a goal difference of plus-56. This is a team that doesn’t get shaken up by an upset star player. They actually thrive on that energy.
The more important issue for Ottawa isn’t the penalty. It’s if the captain can get his act together quickly enough to prevent the series from slipping out of his grasp.
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