Chris Kreider feels Matthew Tkachuk has become a bit too vocal.
The Rangers veteran hurled Tkachuk’s mouthguard into the stands at Amerant Bank Arena after getting into an altercation with a Panthers agitator early in the third period during a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday.
Kreider and Tkachuk had to be separated by a linesman just 48 seconds into the third period, but the Rangers star reached over Tkachuk’s mouth, grabbed his mouthguard and presumably let the fans take home a one-of-a-kind, if not spit-covered, prize.
After the loss, Kreider didn’t want to talk specifically about that moment.
“I don’t remember that,” he said. According to The Athletic.
Luckily, the umpire didn’t seem to notice either, and he was able to penalize Kreider for unsportsmanlike conduct. Under Rule 75.4(iii)“A player who intentionally throws equipment outside the playing field. At the umpire’s discretion, a game misconduct may be assessed.”
It was the latest incident as tensions continue to rise between the two teams as their Eastern Conference Finals series continues.
The Post follows Rangers coverage in the NHL playoffs
The first three games of the round featured heavy hitting and shoving as both teams tried to frustrate the other.
Despite the outcome of Game 4, the series will return to the Garden, home to the third-most passionate fanbase in hockey, according to Casino.org polling, for Game 5.
Rangers fans flocked to New York in large numbers during this season’s playoffs, as well as Carolina and Florida.
They will no doubt continue to follow Kreider’s lead and be an unwelcome force when Tkachuk and his Panthers teammates return to town.
