Teuvo Teravainen was along the boards with a little over four minutes left in the second period at the United Center on Sunday when Radko Gudas arrived. The Chicago Blackhawks forward went down, his helmet came off, and he was slow to get back up.
Replays suggested why. Gudas appeared to be aiming for the chest and caught the jaw instead, with the elbow raised.
Nothing was called. Teravainen didn’t protest at the time but made his feelings plain once he reached the bench.
The assessment that will sting most in Florida came from a Florida Panthers site. Writing at The Rat Trick, Ryan Gagne said Gudas “missed the chest and made contact with the head with a flying elbow,” filing it under the heading of Florida continuing to cross the line with undisciplined play.
Supporters elsewhere were less diplomatic.
“In what world is this not called? Literally lifts his elbow,” one wrote.
“Dirtiest team in the league and it’s not close,” said another.
“How do they keep getting away with this? It cannot be simple incompetence at this point,” a third added.
Radko Gudas against Chicago:
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Ice time | 12:30 |
| Hits | 3 |
| Penalty minutes | 2 |
Are the Florida Panthers a dirty team?
Gudas did collect two minutes on Sunday, for high-sticking at 7:52 of the second period, roughly three minutes before the hit nobody called. Florida have now taken more penalties than any other club in the league this season, which is the sort of statistic their own supporters have started acknowledging rather than arguing with.
The complaints have been accumulating all month. Brady Tkachuk put Macklin Celebrini down from behind in San Jose and took nothing beyond a fighting major. Matthew Tkachuk pulled the helmet off Zach Benson in Buffalo without a whistle. Gudas himself came together knee to knee with Beck Malenstyn in that same game, seven months after a five-game suspension for a knee on Auston Matthews while with Anaheim.
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One fan put the question directly to the fanbase. “How do Panthers fans justify supporting this behavior? It’s the entire team doing this night after night.”
Florida won the game 3-2, Lars Eller scoring his first of the season with 2:23 left, ending a two-game losing run.
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