Brady Tkachuck And Pyotr Kochetkov Found A Way To Penalty Shots Even More Exciting

A penalty shot can be one of the most exciting moments in hockey, and I didn't think you could do much to make them more interesting. However, I was wrong, and Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and Carolina Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov certainly found a way.

Late in the third period with the Hurricanes up 4-1, Tkachuk was awarded a penalty shot after it was ruled that Kochetkov threw his stick at the puck while trying to make a save.

I don't know that I really see a throw, but the officials saw it differently. Tkachuk took a penalty shot and rushed into the zone with a head of steam and that's when things got interesting.

Kocetkov was out of the crease a little bit to cut down the angle, as is the norm, but what isn't the norm is that when Tkachuk hit the hash marks, he dove and delivered a poke check. It worked and knocked the puck away, but also sent Tkachuk flying hard into the endboards.

The Senators captain did not appreciate that.

Tkachuk was incensed after the play and wound up getting into a face-to-face shouting match with Kochetkov. It looked like had the linesmen not intervened there would have been some serious knuck-chucking.

Kochetkov Loves To Get Aggressive

Maybe it was a byproduct of the score. However, it's probably safe to assume Tkachuk's rage had to do with almost winding up in the third row thanks to that flying poke check. Either way, Tkacuk's outburst earned him a 10-minute misconduct.

No fuss, no muss considering the game was out of reach after his missed penalty shot, but you could see the frustration.

I can't remember a penalty shot getting that heated, but maybe it shouldn't be a surprise. That's because the whole thing was initiated by a Kochetkov "thrown" stick and then his flying poke check.

That's because it seems like the 24-year-old Russian loves nothing more than getting a little aggressive beyond the top of the goal crease. He made a similarly aggressive poke check late last month against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

That one didn't end up as heated as the incident with Tkachuk, though.

Personally, I liked seeing that edge. Penalty shots are already an edge-of-your-seat moment. It's always good to see some real competitive fire out on the ice.

Follow on X: @Matt_Reigle