Radko Gudas and Beck Malenstyn came together knee to knee with 7:12 left in the second period in Buffalo on Monday. Gudas headed down the tunnel immediately afterwards and returned for the start of the third. Malenstyn kept playing.
Supporters watching the replay reached a conclusion about who had been trying to do what, and they weren’t gentle about it.
“Cowardly play by a cowardly man on a cowardly team,” one wrote.
“It was like three knees ago I couldn’t understand how this guy is still in the league, and here we are,” another said.
“Some players like Gudas deserve to be kicked out the league. Hockey is a physical sport and injuries are going to happen, but players like Gudas go out of their way to injure players,” a third added.
Why do fans have a problem with Radko Gudas?
The reaction traces back seven months. In March, while still with Anaheim, Gudas caught Auston Matthews knee-on-knee and was suspended five games for it. Matthews didn’t play again that season.
That history is why nobody watching on Monday was inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, and why much of the anger ran past Gudas himself toward the organization that signed him. Florida acquired his rights from the Ducks on June 29 in exchange for A.J. Greer, then handed him a six-year contract worth $9 million that runs until he is 42.
“Having Gudas, Sam Bennett and Brady Tkachuk together on one roster should be enough to get Bill Zito arrested for conspiracy to commit aggravated assault under Florida law,” one fan wrote.
“How can anyone justify being a fan of this team? Genuinely, do you like that your team intentionally injures people?” asked another.
READ MORE: Matthew Tkachuk got away with one against the Sabres
It wasn’t the only incident from the afternoon drawing that kind of response. Matthew Tkachuk ripped the helmet off Zach Benson in the same game without drawing a penalty, which supporters had already spent the evening complaining about. Earlier this month, Brady Tkachuk escaped anything beyond a fighting major after putting Macklin Celebrini down from behind in San Jose.
Buffalo won the game 5-3. Florida has now lost four of five.
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