Tampa Bay Lightning star Brandon Hagel received a five-minute major for interference during Game 2 for his late hit on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.
He was handed a one-game suspension by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk received a five-minute major for interference for a late hit on Tampa Bay star Jake Guentzel on Saturday during Game 3 of the first-round series.
Can he expect similar treatment from the league’s disciplinarians?
‘I passed the puck and I felt like a long time after, I got hit,’ Guentzel told the NHL on TNT studio crew after the game. ‘I’m sure the league is going to take a look at it. We all know the history of the past couple games.’
Here is a look at the two interference major penalties, including the league’s suspension video, and a comparison of the two:
Brandon Hagel hit on Aleksander Barkov
Matthew Tkachuk hit on Jake Guentzel
Should Matthew Tkachuk be suspended?
No
The NHL video makes clear that Barkov never had control of the puck before Hagel hit him and was ineligible to be checked. Guentzel had just passed the puck. Tkachuk’s hit was late and he should have refrained, but the two incidents aren’t really comparable. Same with the force. Hagel’s hit appears to be a lot harder. Barkov left Game 2 and didn’t return, though he was able to play in Game 3. Guentzel was able to do a television interview not long after the Tkachuk hit.
Possibly
Guentzel’s face did hit the ice. If the NHL is looking to prevent late hits that could cause an injury, you need to keep sending a message. Penalizing one and not the other sends a mixed message and could seem unfair.
Best guess
No suspension, but the league might choose to fine Tkachuk.
What Lightning coach Jon Cooper said
He didn’t address it directly, but when asked about the hit by reporters, he repeated a comment made earlier this week by Panthers coach Paul Maurice.
‘The only players we hit are the ones with pucks,’ he said and shrugged.