The referees absolutely should have let Linus Ullmark and Matthew Tkachuk go at it here.
On Sunday, the Boston Bruins took a 3-1 series lead in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, putting the Florida Panthers one loss away from elimination in the first round. While early on in the third period, it looked like the Panthers were set to make Game 4 a close one, the Bruins scored three straight to put the game away 6-2 as the series pivots back to Boston.
Before the final buzzer sounded, however, tensions boiled over in a full on line scuffle between the two teams on the ice with a few minutes to play. And during the pandemonium, Bruins goaltender Ullmark threw down his gloves to tango with notorious Panthers pest Tkachuk!
Unfortunately, the referees stopped the pair from engaging in fisticuffs, but the moment was still awesome regardless.
ULLMARK WANTED A PIECE OF TKACHUK 😳😤 pic.twitter.com/6UE1g4bh9H
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 23, 2023
Between this and the referees stopping a goaltender fight between Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington not too long ago, hockey fans have truly been robbed of goalie brawls. Even still, NHL fans were so here for Ullmark wanting to throw down with Tkachuk in the heat of the moment.