Matthew Tkachuk has been toeing the disciplinary line for most of his rookie campaign.
Now it appears he’s crossed it.
On Monday, the Department of Player Safety announced Tkachuk would have a hearing for his elbow on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty in Calgary’s 5-2 win on Sunday night.
The incident occurred late in the first period behind the goal line, as Doughty went to check Tkachuk, who, with his back turned to the Kings defender, threw up the left elbow, sending Doughty to the ice.
After slowly getting to his feet, Doughty did return in the second period.
Tkachuk wasn’t penalized for the hit, but did receive a roughing minor after being confronted by L.A. blueliner Derek Forbort.
Following the game, Doughty was steamed.
“He’s a pretty dirty player, that kid,” said Doughty, per LA Kings Insider. “To be a rookie and play like that is a little surprising. I don’t know exactly what happened because I got hit in the head, but I thought he elbowed me. I can’t tell you for sure, so I’m not going to really say if I think anything should happen, but whatever it was, it hurt pretty bad, and it’s going to hurt for a little bit.”
When asked about the incident, Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan naturally said he hadn’t seen a replay, but from the bench, it appeared to be what he called a “reverse hit.”
As mentioned above, Tkachuk has been a polarizing figure in his first NHL campaign. He ran wild in an early-season game against Edmonton -- one of his first introductions to the rest of the league -- and, in January, was accused of slew-footing in a loss to Toronto.