The NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DoPS) has been busy to start off the 2021-22 season, and that continued on Friday with two more penalties handed down to NHL players.
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Their most recent work stemmed from an incident in Thursday night’s game between the Calgary Flames and the Dallas Stars, where Matthew Tkachuk appeared to intentionally high stick John Klingberg. Thankfully, the Stars defenceman was okay and was able to remain in the game. It is unlikely that Tkachuk meant to get Klingberg’s face with his stick as he did, but regardless it was a reckless play that could have had a much worse result. As a result, the DoPS decided on Friday afternoon to fine Tkachuk $5,000, which is the maximum allowable under the CBA.
Klingberg went on to have the last laugh in last night’s tilt, as the Stars were able to defeat the Flames in overtime by a final score of 4-3. While the Flames did lose the game however, they were able to pick up a single point. In fact, they have picked up at least one point in nine of 10 games this season, as they have jumped out to an impressive 6-1-3 record. Tkachuk has played a big part in that, scoring five goals and seven points through his team’s first 10 games.
After an extremely disappointing 2020-21 season, the Flames appear to be back to the team they were a few seasons ago. Plenty of this can be credited to head coach Darryl Sutter, who had the tough task of taking over the team midway through last season after the firing of Geoff Ward. He appears to have his players bought into his defensive style of hockey right now, and it is paying dividends.
As for Tkachuk, this won’t be the last we hear of him in terms of questionable antics, whether it be more discipline from the DoPS or upset fan bases of opposing teams. That is what you are going to get with Tkachuk, as he is a player that plays on the line and can occasionally cross it. That type of play is part of what makes him so valuable, as he is willing to do whatever it takes for his team to win games. He and his team will be back at it on Saturday where they will take on the New York Rangers.
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