The Tampa Bay Lightning took Game 3 against the Florida Panthers, giving them their first win of the series. The 5-1 victory was pivotal for the Lightning's playoff hopes, as they were in danger of falling behind 3-0 in the Battle of Florida.
At the center of the Lightning and Panthers contest was Tampa Bay forward Jake Guentzel. The scoring winger recorded three points to help secure the win, but was also the recipient of a punishing check that drew tons of criticism. Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk delivered a bone-crunching hit on Guentzel as the Lightning scored an empty-netter. The center ice body check occurred several moments after Guentzel passed the puck, drawing the ire of many.
During the postgame scrum, Guentzel was mostly silent on the incident. Instead, he left it in the hands of the league, saying he hopes the NHL will “do its job.”
Similarly, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper was not pleased with the hit. In his postgame comments, he sarcastically addressed the incident. When asked about his thoughts on the hit, Cooper told the media that his team only hits puck carriers, a clear dig at the Tkachuk hit.
“The only players we hit are the ones with pucks,” he said.
With the series hitting a fever pitch, the league has a difficult decision to make. They could opt for a monetary discipline and issue the maximum allowable fine under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. They could also opt to suspend the star forward, which would give the Lightning a huge advantage in Game 4 and a chance to tie the series.
The Lightning won Game 3 by a final score of 5-1 and lifted the series tally to 2-1. The Panthers can take control of the series back with a bounce back performance, but they may not have Tkachuk available.
