A rough and physical game between the Florida Panthers and the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa on Monday night ended with an unprecedented move by the referees. After a fight broke out in the third period, every skater on the ice was kicked out of the game, resulting in a 10-man ejection. This followed a string of penalties and fights throughout the game.
The game was characterized by a high level of physicality and emotions from both teams, with players receiving a total of 167 penalty minutes. Despite the extraordinary number of ejections, players and coaches seemed unfazed by the situation, with Panthers coach Paul Maurice even chuckling on the bench.
The game wasn’t the most physical in Maurice’s career, who downplayed the incidents, saying, “It was fun, it was good.” Ottawa’s captain Brady Tkachuk echoed that sentiment, stating that playing with emotion is an essential aspect of the game and demonstrates the team’s commitment.
This game wasn’t the highest-penalty game in NHL history, with a 2004 match between the Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers resulting in 419 penalty minutes. However, Monday’s game certainly made an impression due to the 10-man ejection, which was a rare occurrence in the NHL.
The final score was 5-0 in favor of the Panthers, who were leading 4-0 when the chaotic third period unfolded. Despite the disarray, both teams seemed to embrace the intense and emotional nature of the game, with players and coaches downplaying the incidents as just part of the sport.
While the game was a remarkably physical and controversial one, it is clear that the players and coaches involved viewed it as just part of the game and maintained a lighthearted perspective on the situation.
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