Matthew Tkachuk penalized for batting puck out of midair from bench

Calgary Flames right winger Matthew Tkachuk was penalized for a bizarre play he made from the bench during Monday night's game against Anaheim. 

It happened with just under six minutes remaining in the first period as the Flames held a 1-0 lead. Flames center Mikael Backlund hit the puck high across the ice and it appeared that it was going over the glass and out of play above the Flames bench. However, for some reason, Tkachuk stood up and used his stick to knock the puck back onto the ice.

 

It was a strange play to watch, and it was unclear to everyone why Tkachuk did that. Given that the puck was going out of play, the referees blew the whistle to stop play anyway, so it was a wasted effort by Tkachuk. Making matters worse, the referees sent Tkachuk to the penalty box for two minutes for interference. 

In the end, the Ducks beat the Flames 3-2 in OT. 

[SportsNet]

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About Michael James

Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.