Hockey playoff series tend to ratchet up the intensity as they are extended. The 2024 Eastern Conference Finals between the Rangers and Panthers is no exception.
New York and Florida were playing each other Tuesday in a critical Game 4. The Rangers led the series 2-1 but were trailing 2-1 early in the third period when things started to get a bit chippy.
It all started when Rangers forward Chris Kreider got into it with Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk under a minute into the third period.
Kreider evidently was fed up with the edgy player's antics. That led him to chuck Tkacuick's mouthguard into the crowd.
Chris Kreider just threw Matthew Tkachuk’s mouth guard into the crowd after the scrum 😅 pic.twitter.com/SPmRUsoeXl
— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) May 29, 2024
None of the officials appeared to notice Kreider's actions. The only one with a great angle of what happens had his back to Kreider during the 33-year-old's now-viral toss.
MORE: Tracking all of the NHL's coaching changes from the 2024 offseason
Could Chris Kreider have been ejected for mouthguard toss?
Kreider is lucky about that. He could have been ejected from the game, as the NHL rulebook outlines that "any player who deliberately throws any equipment out of the playing area. At the discretion of the Referee, a game misconduct may be imposed"
Instead, Kreider wasn't penalized for the play. That allowed the Rangers to stay at even strength and eventually equalize about two minutes of game time later.
The Panthers didn't complain much about Kreider's actions following their 3-2 overtime win to tie up the series. Kreider and the Rangers also played it coy about the mouthguard toss, perhaps to draw attention away from the play.
"I don’t remember that," Kreider said when asked about throwing the mouthguard.
We'll soon see if Tkachuk does. He may get in Kreider's face with a little extra gusto in what should be an intense, hard-fought Game 5 as the series shifts back to New York.
