NHL Hands Out Discipline To Matthew Tkachuk For Cross-Check

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk had quite the eventful game against the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of their first-round series on Sunday. But the one event that had the NHL Department of Player Safety's attention was the cross-check from behind he handed out in the first period against Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway.  And after a review of the incident, it was decided that a suspension was not warranted, but the maximum fine was. 

Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Cross-checking against Boston’s Garnet Hathaway.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 24, 2023

Tkachuk was slapped with a $5,000 bill from the league—the maximum allowable—after cross-checking Hathaway in the ribs from behind after the whistle.

Garnet Hathaway was slow to get up after Matthew Tkachuk cross-checked him in the ribs. pic.twitter.com/JVAquHVg4p

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 23, 2023

The Panthers' forward was handed a two-minute minor for the hit.  

Meanwhile, Tkachuk was also involved in a scrum near the end of the game that even had Boston goalie Linus Ullmark dropping the gloves in an attempt to get at him.  

Linus Ullmark was ready to drop the gloves against Matthew Tkachuk: pic.twitter.com/JcPfGSRV1o

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 23, 2023

Both were tossed from the game with three minutes to go in the third period.  

Luckily for the Panthers, as a result of the NHL's disciplinary decision, they will not lose the services of their leading scorer for Game 5 on Wednesday, when they'll be facing elimination. Tkachuk notched 109 points this season on 40 goals and 69 assists. 

He's also led the team in this series, with five points (two goals).  

Photo: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports