Tag: Game 4

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Rumblings of a huge return for the Kings in Game 4.

Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune

The Los Angeles Kings have already taken a 2-1 lead over the Edmonton Oilers in their opening round Stanley Cup playoff series, and now to make matters even worse for the Oilers it sounds like reinforcements may be on the way for the Kings.

Although there has been no official announcement regarding his status at this time, signs are pointing to the fact that Kings forward Kevin Fiala may be set to make his return from a lower body injury that has kept him out of the series thus far.

Fiala was on the ice for the Kings’ morning skate on Sunday and was in a red no-contact jersey, but indications are he will skate in warmups before tonight’s Game 4. That likely means that Fiala is a gametime decision, but either way this is a sign that he is extremely close to a return to the lineup.

Fiala was an effective offensive player for the Kings during the regular season, appearing in 69 games and recording 23 goals while adding 49 assists for a total of 72 points over that stretch of play. His return would be a big boost to the Kings offense, and would come at a time when the Oilers desperately need a win to even up the series again.

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Brad Marchand calls out the NHL after Game 4 on Sunday.

Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins earned a huge win on Sunday when they took Game 4 over the Florida Panthers, securing a commanding 3-1 lead in the opening round series between the two Stanley Cup hopefulls.

While you might think that would have put the Bruins in a good mood, Bruins forward Brad Marchand clearly had a bone to pick after the game. Some of the antics that occurred during the game, including all hell breaking loose late in the third period, might lead you to believe that Marchand had a bone to pick with the Panthers, but instead the Bruins agitator’s issues were with the National Hockey League itself.

Following the conclusion of Game 4, Marchand was asked about controversial comments made by Matthew Tkachuk earlier in the series.

Again you might have expected Marchand to use the opportunity to roast Tkachuk for some pretty ugly comments that were caught on a hot mic, but this is where Marchand chose to call out the NHL instead. The Bruins agitator chastised the league, and their media partners, for allowing the comments from Tkachuk to be caught on a mic in the first place.

“I think the NHL and the media outlets have crossed the line to allow those mics …” said an infuriated Marchand.

According to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe, Marchand would go even one step further and called the entire situation “very disrespectful” to the agreement between the NHL and NHLPA.

It certainly sounds like there may be some fallout here, although much of that is likely to occur behind closed doors and away from the prying eyes of fans.

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Tkachuk goes after Ullmark and all hell breaks loose in Game 4!

The Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers are not done with their first round Stanley Cup playoff series just yet, and facing elimination the Florida Panthers attempted to send a message late in the third period of Game 4.

All hell broke loose when Panthers agitator Matthew Tkachuk invaded the Bruins crease and drew the ire of Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark, eventually leading to a dogpile on Tkachuk and then a larger brawl between the Panthers and the Bruins on the ice as neither team was willing to give ground.

Tkachuk would attempt to get at Ullmark during all of the chaos and the Bruins goaltender appeared eager to throw fists with the Panthers forward, but the National Hockey League officials on the ice were having none of it.

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Garnet Hathaway injured by cross-check from Matthew Tkachuk Game 4.

Boston Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway appears to have been injured in the first period of Game 4 between the Bruins and Florida Panthers, and the Bruins aren’t going to be happy about this one.

Hathaway went down, and stayed down, after a cross-check from Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk struck him in the back where he has very little protection. A scrum ensued around Hathaway and players pushed and shoved, but as all of this went down, Hathaway remained flat on the ice.

Tkachuk was awarded a 2 minute penalty on the play, but that will be little consolation for the Bruins if Hathaway is unable to continue in this contest.

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Marcus Foligno calls out the NHL’s “bullshit” officiating in Game 4.

Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports

Game 4 between the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars will go down as a controversial one, with many on the Minnesota Wild side of the equation leaving the game feeling like they got a raw deal from the National Hockey League’s officials. None more so than veteran Wild forward Marcus Foligno.

Following the conclusion of Game 4, Foligno made no effort to hide his disdain, or avoid any potential fines, when he slammed the officiating in Sunday’s game. Specifically, Foligno objected to a pair of penalty calls that had been made against him during the course of the game.

The first, an interference call that Foligno argues should have been fair game, and a highly controversial “tripping” call that would be levied against Foligno at a pivotal moment late in the game’s third period.

”It’s a joke. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Foligno on Sunday. “I go to hit a guy who touches the puck. It’s not interference. I go, I get high-sticked in the face. It’s not a tripping call when you hit a guy clean on. It’s bullshit.”

Foligno also indicated that he had received no explanation for why the call was made, and used the word “arrogant” to describe what he did encounter from the NHL officials on the ice Sunday night.

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NHL Player Safety comes down on Matthew Tkachuk after Game 4.

The National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety(DOPS) has come down on Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, and I suspect he’s not going to be too happy about it.

On Monday, the DOPS announced that Tkachuk would be fined $5,0000, the maximum allowable amount under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, for a cross-check he delivered to Boston Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway.

The cross-check was fairly egregious with Tkachuk striking Hathaway from behind, striking him in an unprotected area of his lower back, and doing so after the final horn had sounded for the end of the first period. I suspect that a combination of all of these factors are why the league felt additional discipline was warranted in this instance.

Tkachuk was awarded a 2 minute minor penalty at the time of the incident and he wasn’t happy about that to begin with, indicating during an interview that he felt Hathaway had taken a dive on the play.

“It’s kinda one of those pretty chippy games.” said Tkachuk. “If you get cross-checked go down, try to draw a penalty. It seems that’s the way this game is kinda going.”

He likely will be even less happy now that he has been fined for the same incident.