Ottawa's Zack MacEwen fined by NHL for going after Matthew Takchuk during Panthers 5-0 win
MacEwen was issued a match penalty for the play but he won't face a suspension
Monday night’s game between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators had the intensity of a postseason game between two divisional rivals.
Perhaps that’s why things started getting out of hand physically once Florida began piling on the goals during what ended up a 5-0 victory for the Cats.
Chippy play throughout the night started getting a bit more intense toward the end of the second period, with both teams collecting on the ice after the final buzzer sounded.
Cooler heads would ultimately prevail and both teams went to their respective locker rooms, though the peace would not last for long.
Things began spiraling downward during the third period when Matthew Tkachuk finished a check on Ottawa’s Travis Hamonic.
Senators forward Zack MacEwen took exception to Tkachuk’s hit and immediately went after him, sending a forearm into Tkachuk’s head before jumping on his back and taking him to the ground.
Tkachuk emerged with blood coming from above his eyebrow and a smile on his face as officials escorted MacEwen to the penalty box.
He was handed a five-minute match penalty for a hit to the head and tossed out of the game.
Tuesday, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced that MacEwen had been fined the maximum allowable under the CBA, just over $2,000, for “unsportsmanlike conduct during last night’s game against Florida.”
MacEwen won't be facing a suspension, with the league deeming the fine a worthy punishment.
The physical play on Monday night wouldn’t stop there.
After a scrum behind the Panthers net engulfed every player on the ice, minus the goalies, referee Garrett Rank made a stunning announced to everyone watching.”
“Every player on the ice has a ten-minute misconduct, among other penalties,” Rank said into his microphone.
He wasn’t kidding, and he wasn’t done there, either.
By the end of the game, 13 misconducts had been issued and a total of 167 penalty minutes were handed out between the two teams.
“That's part of why the game is so darn great,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said afterwards. “Because it's graceful and beautiful and physical and angry all at the same time.”
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